Dog has been helping raise kittens for 13 years

George the fox terrier has a rare talent that has been the making of many a Hunter family’s moggy. For 13 years the caring canine has been helping owner Mike Sargent raise kittens for the Australian RSPCA after the Raymond Terrace man noticed his pet’s talent for the job.

‘‘At first we kept the kittens away from him but when they got out he would lie down and they would crawl all over him,’’ Mr Sargent said. Since then George’s nurturing nature has developed and he has kept a watchful eye on about 250 kittens until they were ready for adoption.

Behaving more like a feline than a foxy, George is also dedicated to the kittens’ cleanliness, often grooming them with his tongue. ‘‘It’s incredible to watch,’’ Mr Sargent said.

And George is always on the lookout to make sure his brood of kittens does not stray too far and wide. ‘‘He rounds them up like a sheep dog,’’ Mr Sargent said. ‘‘He’ll bark at them if they go too far away and bark at people if he thinks they are getting too close.’’