(no subject)
I couldn't resist...
Kura "Kat" Tumanako, who lives in Hastings, a small town on New Zealand's North Island, gave birth to a baby girl at the end of August.
But, as she explained to the New Zealand Herald, she had problems nursing little Honey Pauline Philomina Flo, and she "didn't want to waste [the milk]."
"So I gave it to Honey Boy," Tumanako said.
Honey Boy is her Staffordshire bull terrier (search) puppy - commonly known to Americans as a pit bull.
Tumanako thinks the practice will only strengthen the bond between the puppy and her 3-month-old daughter, who is drinking formula.
"I wanted to raise [the pup] with my baby," Tumanako told the Herald. "I wanted to bring it up with a baby. It will protect her as they grow up."
Nor does she care what the neighbors think.
"It's my life, my responsibility. I make my own choices," she said. "I'm going to look after me, my baby and my puppy."
Local veterinarian Sharon Marshall said she'd heard of dogs suckling cats, but never of a human feeding a dog.
"It's not going to hurt the puppy. I would be more concerned for hygiene issues for any baby sharing the milk," Marshall said.
"It doesn't sound like the animal is suffering," said Peter Mason, head of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (search).
Tumanako is more concerned with the practical aspects of nursing a dog, which she plans to wean in about six weeks.
"It doesn't hurt," she told the newspaper. "But it's a little bit ticklish."
Where do these people come from?
Kura "Kat" Tumanako, who lives in Hastings, a small town on New Zealand's North Island, gave birth to a baby girl at the end of August.
But, as she explained to the New Zealand Herald, she had problems nursing little Honey Pauline Philomina Flo, and she "didn't want to waste [the milk]."
"So I gave it to Honey Boy," Tumanako said.
Honey Boy is her Staffordshire bull terrier (search) puppy - commonly known to Americans as a pit bull.
Tumanako thinks the practice will only strengthen the bond between the puppy and her 3-month-old daughter, who is drinking formula.
"I wanted to raise [the pup] with my baby," Tumanako told the Herald. "I wanted to bring it up with a baby. It will protect her as they grow up."
Nor does she care what the neighbors think.
"It's my life, my responsibility. I make my own choices," she said. "I'm going to look after me, my baby and my puppy."
Local veterinarian Sharon Marshall said she'd heard of dogs suckling cats, but never of a human feeding a dog.
"It's not going to hurt the puppy. I would be more concerned for hygiene issues for any baby sharing the milk," Marshall said.
"It doesn't sound like the animal is suffering," said Peter Mason, head of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (search).
Tumanako is more concerned with the practical aspects of nursing a dog, which she plans to wean in about six weeks.
"It doesn't hurt," she told the newspaper. "But it's a little bit ticklish."
Where do these people come from?