The senior dog's owner, Jeremy Goldsmith shared that he is not at all surprised that Fred has found himself a new family.
A 15-year-old adorable Labrador retriever named Fred has fostered fifteen orphaned ducklings after forming an unlikely bond with them. The furry parent may not look the part but he is a perfectly seasoned duck parent who has taken in orphaned ducklings several times over the years.
In 2018, when Fred was 10, he acted as a surrogate parent to nine orphaned ducklings, according to SWNS. Then a year later Mountfitchet Castle in Essex, England shared a post on Facebook revealing how Fred, a fellow resident, had been lovingly looking after another group of ducklings who sadly did not have parents.
This year, the senior dog has taken a new feathered brood under his furry wing. According to PEOPLE, the latest ducklings became orphaned after their mother mysteriously vanished from the castle's grounds overnight. When the mother duck did not return, Fred decided to step up and take over the role of their parent.
He has been keeping an eye on the baby birds and taking them for rides on his back from time to time and take. The proud father also shares warm cuddles with his little bird babies. Recently, Mountfitchet Castle shared pictures of the pooch snuggling with the ducklings on Facebook.
"Our doting 15-year-old Fred has become a Foster parent for the second time in 5 years, But this time to 15 orphaned ducklings. Well done, Fred," it shared on July 5. In the pictures shared by the historical attraction, the ducklings can be seen adorably clustering around Fred's legs and with some sitting on top of him as they all lay together in the sun.
The pictures show the ducklings adorably huddling around Fred's front legs and even on top of him as they lay together in the sun. The senior dog's owner, Jeremy Goldsmith shared that he is not at all surprised that Fred has found himself a new family.
"Over the 15 years of owning him, Fred has spent a lot of time at the castle with the animals, and it has become second nature to him to be amongst the various rescued animals," expressed Goldsmith. As for the ducklings, they expected to stay with Fred at the castle until they get old and strong enough to survive on their own.
Cover image source: Facebook | Mountfitchet Castle
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