Irish Wolfhound Becomes the Gentle Giant ‘Mom' to a Group of Baby Goats
Baby goats are some of the cutest animals who have ever existed in the entire world. They're just so happy all the time, and even when they're not happy, it's practically impossible to tell. Their legs are so little, and it just looks like they're always smiling!
It's hard to imagine a world where baby goats get cuter than they already are, but it really does happen. For example, just look at these sweet baby goats! They've recently decided that a huge Irish Wolfhound is their new mama, and she stepped right up without a second thought:
@outbackwithash It's that time of the year again Harriet makes caring for orphaned babies so much easier. She literally adopts them as her own and makes it so much easier to catch them in the first few days before they're familiar with us. The best girl ever. #sheepstation#lambs#outbackaustralia
original sound - ☆ Madison ☆
Harriet the Irish Wolfhound is the resident surrogate mama on this farm. Life happens sometimes: for one reason or another, babies are rejected by their moms or they were orphaned early on. No matter how or why it happened, it's sad, but it's also important that you react quickly.
Harriet, luckily, has done this before. Whenever there are orphaned babies on the farm, she jumps in to start caring for them. While she can't nurse them or anything, she can get them used to seeing other animals, and she can offer them the protection they can't survive without.
Related: Irish Wolfhound's Gentle Play Date With Tiny Pit Bull Puppies Will Make You Smile
These two baby goats were orphaned, but it's unclear if they were from this farm originally or not. Not that it matters: the only thing that matters now is that Harriet adores them. They're safe with her! If that wasn't enough, though, she's also taken care of a calf:
@outbackwithash You guys are crying over Harriet being our orphaned lambs mumma, I hope your enjoy her with this orphan calf just as much she just wants to be friends with everyone and every thing, she is the sweetest hound that ever lived !! #unlikelyfriends#cattlestation#cuteanimals#outbackaustralia#deerhound
origineel geluid - taissaturnersrosetoy
Harriet is a huge dog: a Deerhound/Wolfhound/Greyhound cross. With being a huge dog obviously comes having a huge heart! She's got so many babies, and they're all going to love her forever!
Do Baby Goats Need Surrogate Moms?
These baby goats obviously love having Harriet around, and now that she's a part of their lives, they absolutely can't live without her.
However, when it comes to simply making sure the babies survive, baby goats don't technically need a surrogate mom in this sense. They need to be fed often and monitored closely, but anyone can do that. Having a surrogate mom around the clock can help, though, with things like:
- Socialization.
- Establishing a place in the herd.
- Building bonds.
- Alleviating some of the stress for you.
In a situation like this, where the surrogate mother is a dog, there will still need to be some human intervention: dogs can't produce milk for goats! Harriet definitely would if she could, though.
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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM.