With all of the ills and seemingly never-ending tragedies facing our world today, we’re living in a day and age where feel-good, life-affirming stories are needed more than ever. And my friends, I am happy to report that is exactly what I have for you today. Meet Fred. Fred is a 10-year-old labrador retriever who resides at Mountfitchet Castle, a living history museum attraction in Essex, United Kingdom that features livestock that would have been kept by the original inhabitants.
When the mother of a flock of nine adorable baby ducklings living at the castle recently went missing, this very good doggo did what so many Maury guests have failed at over the years, and stepped up to the plate to take care of dem babies.
Dog ‘adopts’ nine orphaned ducklings at Essex castle https://t.co/7JQ7C87lHW pic.twitter.com/YPiPueBu4Y
— BBC Essex (@BBCEssex) May 21, 2018
Owner of dog says it’s a pleasure to see his pet adopting orphaned ducklings at his north Essex home https://t.co/Gh133Vgn7J pic.twitter.com/6ZH1j3JurY
— BBC Essex (@BBCEssex) May 21, 2018
A castle spokeswoman told BBC News that after the ducklings’ mother disappeared last Thursday, staff brought them into the house since they were too young to fend for themselves. It was there that they met Fred, who belongs to the castle’s owner Jeremy Goldsmith.
“We brought the ducklings into the house as they are too young to fend for themselves,” Goldsmith told BBC News. “And Fred just took them under his paw—rather than his wing.”
https://www.facebook.com/mountfitchetcastle/videos/599526160400985/
Fred is apparently used to being around rescued animals having grown up at the castle, and once apparently even helped care for an injured squirrel. Now, the ducklings and Fred are inseparable—following everywhere he goes, sleeping with him in his dog bed, and swimming around with him in the castle moat.
Fred’s story captured the hearts and attention of the internet, which collectively swooned over the unlikely pairing.
Fred the Labrador: a very good boy https://t.co/55ayypbjog
— Colin (@theabingdontaxi) May 21, 2018
We all love a Labrador ❤️❤️
— Liz Smith (@lizzies54) May 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/warpedpolecat/status/998635746872512518
https://twitter.com/MelissaAmour72/status/998735147888513024
This isn’t the first time the Mountfitchet Castle has gone viral over one of its resident animals. In 2013, a 26-inch-tall Brahma cockerel named “Little John” made headlines for being the tallest in the world, according to the Guinness World Record.
H/T BBC News
