The caretakers of Peggy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Juliette Wells and Reese Mortensen, discovered a deserted baby magpie at the park, abandoned by its parents. After observing the condition of the fledgling, they chose to bring her home and nurture her.
Yet, the situation took an unexpected turn, and in just one day, the tiny magpie assumed control of the household. Moreover, she has remained far longer than their initial expectations.
However, this was not the only astonishing twist.
From Scaring To Caring
Initially, Reese and Juliette observed that their canine companion was not very welcoming towards the small avian and was even slightly apprehensive of her, especially due to her beak, which could inflict a fair amount of discomfort for a young bird.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t long before Peggy realized that the new inhabitant was in need of care – she grasped the task so well that she even commenced producing milk, transforming into a genuine “birdog” mother. Juliette elaborated on this phenomenon in a video from 7NEWS Australia:
“Two weeks later, Peggy was producing milk for this baby magpie, and the magpie was drinking the milk.”
Peggy’s owner was somewhat concerned about this and took the dog to the veterinarian, contemplating whether she might be expecting.
However, the reality was that Peggy was undergoing a “phantom pregnancy” – a phenomenon where a female dog behaves as if she is pregnant, despite not being so. Such instances may even lead to lactation, which is why this pooch began producing milk. [1]
Juliette characterized their connection as a mother-daughter dynamic as Peggy became quite defensive and trailed Molly everywhere.
Friends For Life
The duo forged such a profound bond that they do nearly everything in each other’s company. Juliette noted that they snuggle and cuddle together constantly.