A giant farm dog and a tiny piglet cuddle up as if they were family after the baby runt was dismissed by its own mother. Surrogate mum Katjinga, an eight-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, took on motherly duties for grunter Paulinchen – a tiny pot-bellied pig – and seems to be taking the adoption in her stride. Lonely Paulinchen was luckily discovered moments from death and placed in the care of the dog who gladly accepted it as one of her own. Thankfully for the two-week old mini porker, Katjinga fell in love with him at first sight and saved his bacon.

And the unlikely relationship has made the wrinkly piggy a genuine sausage dog. In these adorable images Paulinchen can even be seen trying to suckle from his gigantic new mum.

The two animals live together on a huge 20-acre farm in Hoerstel , Germany , where Katjinga’s owners Roland Adam, 54, and his wife Edit, 44, a bank worker, keep a pair of breeding Vietnamese pigs.

Nose place like home: The baby piglet nuzzles up to its new mum

Property developer Roland found the weak and struggling piglet after he was abandoned by the rest of his family one evening after he was born.

He said: “The pigs run wild on our land and the sow had given birth to a litter of five in our forest.

“I found Paulinchen all alone and when I lifted him up he was really cold

“I felt sure some local foxes would have taken the little pig that very night so I took it into my house and gave him to Katjinga..

“She had just finished with a litter of her own, who are now 10 months, so I thought there was a chance she might take on the duties of looking after him.

“Katjinga is the best mother you can imagine. She immediately fell in love with the piggy. Straight away she started to clean it like it was one of her own puppies.

“Days later she started lactating again and giving milk for the piggy. She obviously regards it now as her own baby.”

Mum of the year? Quite possibly.

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Here his mate is injured and her condition is fatal. She was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road.

Caring and concerned he brought her food and attended to her with love and compassion.

He brought her food again but was shocked to find her dead. He tried to move her … a rarely-seen effort for swallows!

Aware that his sweetheart is dead and she will never come back to him again, he cries out with adoring love.

He stood beside her calling for her return and saddened by her death.

Finally aware that she would never return to him, he stood vigil beside her still body with sadness and sorrow.

Millions of people cried after watching this picture in America and Europe, and even in India.

It is said that the photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the most famous newspaper in France. All copies of that newspaper were sold out on the day these pictures were published.  And many people think animals don’t have brains or feelings?

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