Raylan has always been good with the kittens his human fosters, especially the babies.
He even carries around a kitten named Ron all day just so the little baby can feel safe.
Raylan, a shepherd mix, has served as a foster dog dad to dozens of kittens over the last seven years.
Foster dad dog
And Raylan is a hands-on dad. He plays with the kitties, cuddles with them, watches over them and even cleans them.
His mom Laura Tindal says that Raylan always gets super excited when new fosters arrive.
Tindal says that the kittens help to keep Raylan busy, as he gets bored easily. Raylan had his hands full with siblings Ron and Hermione.
The kittens were found in a garage, dehydrated and underweight. They also missed the comfort of being held close by mom.
Raylan took over snuggling duties, and Tindal nursed the babies back to health. Raylan and Ron developed a special relationship together.
“Both kittens love Raylan, but Ron was especially taken with him,” Tindal told The Dodo. “[He] immediately wanted to constantly be crawling on him and touching him and be as close as possible to him.”
Raylan has his own special ways of comforting the foster babies. He likes to keep them close and carry them around in his mouth.
Carry me
“Raylan often carries our foster kittens around in his mouth like a mother dog would, and Ron not only was the perfect size but he absolutely loves it!” Tindal said. “You can’t get much closer than inside his mouth. So Raylan’s just constantly carrying Ron around.”
Ron just lets Raylan know when he wants to be picked up.
“When Ron wants to be picked up, he’ll come over and stand under Raylan’s head and meow and look up at him, circling back and forth,” Tindal added. “If Raylan’s lying down, he’ll literally rub up against his mouth until he gets picked up … Then Raylan will usually bring him to his bed or the couch and start cleaning him, or they’ll just curl up for a nap. It’s adorable.”
Raylan took real good care of Ron and Hermione until they were old enough to be adopted. The siblings were adopted into the same home so they could stay together forever.
Tindal believes that Raylan likes to care for the kittens the same way that he was cared for when he was rescued.
“He was swiped out of that shelter hours before he was going to be euthanized,” Tindal said.
Tindal said that Raylan is looking forward to his next batch of kittens. You can follow foster dad dog Raylan on Instagram @raylan_the_dog.