Shine A Light

A Shih Tzu dog carries a five-week old kitten back into a pillow at the Anderson County P.A.W.S. shelter. (SHNS photo by Ken Ruinard / Anderson Independent Mail)

From Scripps:

ANDERSON, S.C. – A dog found lost and hurt in South Carolina was discovered to be caring for some precious cargo — a tiny, nursing kitten.

When Anderson Animal Control Officer Michelle Smith climbed down a steep embankment to rescue a yelping dog, she saw a black-and-white Shih Tzu- mix curled in a tangle of bushes and briars.

But when she blinked and looked again, she spotted a tiny kitten nestled next to the dog, suckling milk from her.

“I didn’t know what to think,” she said. “I was shocked and surprised and then of course, awww.”

The dog and kitten received the same reaction when Smith took them to the animal shelter. Volunteers marveled at the way the dog, which is at least 5 years old, looks out for the 5-week-old kitten.

Jessica Cwynar, director of the shelter, says such behavior is natural for mammals.

“It would be like one of us seeing a neglected or abandoned child and taking it under our wing,” she said.

Neither the dog nor the kitten has a known name, so shelter volunteers call them “Girl.”

Though they are far from being related, from a few feet away they match with a mix of black, white and gray fur between them. … (click here for more of the story and more photos)