Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/dog-cuddles-calf-to-keep-warm/

You can get through anything if you have a friend by your side. When we’re hit by hard times, it’s natural to lean on those around us. One pair of furry friends proved this is true in the animal kingdom as well when they cuddled up next to each other to keep warm during a frigid winter storm in Goodeve, Saskatchewan.

Temperatures reached as low as -58 degrees Fahrenheit (-50 degrees Celsius) on a very busy night for rancher Bonnie Potoroka. At her barn, a pregnant heifer named Summer was about to give birth! While the timing wasn’t especially convenient for Potoroka, the event was still exciting and she awaited the new calf eagerly.

With her and eager to help was Mickey, her loyal collie. Checking in on the heifer, Potoroka was surprised and pleased to see that the birth had gone off without a hitch. There in the barn was a brand new arrival, named “Baby” for now, shivering in the cold under her mother. The celebration couldn’t last long, however: “It just wasn’t warm enough,” Potoroka recalled in an interview with CBC News. “A baby is wet when it’s born, and she was already getting cold and her ears were starting to freeze.”

Although the calf’s mother was doing her best to protect her baby, there wasn’t much she could do during the early days before the calf grew its own coat. The best solution, Potoroska decided, was to bring the calf with her into the shop, which was heated, and let her sleep there for the night. While making the bed for Baby, Potoroska was followed by Mickey, who jumped at the chance to help. Laying down next to the new arrival, Mickey cuddled up and lent her his warmth.

“Baby is still only three days old, so she sleeps a lot… she’ll lay down on the rug and he’ll come next to her and lay down beside her,” Potoroska explained to the outlet. “He’s always curious about the cows and the calves, but this one is the same size as him, so he likes it.”

Days passed, and Baby continued to gain enough strength for daily visits with her mom in the barn. At night, though, she and Mickey cuddle up in the warmth of the shop. Mickey has befriended other animals in the past and loves being part of the work on the farm. Potoroska thinks that their friendship is something special, and may continue past the critical first weeks of the calf’s life.

Whatever the future holds, both animals were able to share truly special moments together as they shared a space, a blanket, and their warmth to get through some long winter nights! Watch the video below of the calf, via CBC news, as she learns to nurse with her mother:

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog