Duke the English Bullmastiff has a very important role in the life of a young piglet, playing father to the orphaned pig.
While English Bullmastiffs have been known not to get on with pigs, that’s certainly not the case here.
In one popular video, Ivan the three-month-old pig lies on his side while Duke licks his stomach to clean him.
When Ivan Met Duke
The pair live at Brightside Farm Sanctuary in Tasmania, Australia, and the sanctuary posted the video on Facebook, where it’s been viewed over 90,000 times by animal lovers.
Ivan, a saddleback pig, arrived at Brightside Farm Sanctuary after his mother rolled over and crushed his shoulder and leg, and it wasn’t long before Duke became a surrogate parent of sorts despite the English Bullmastiff being of a different species. They reside at the on-site home of Emma Haswell, the sanctuary’s founder. Here, they live alongside other animals who need a higher level of care.
The sanctuary are aiming to keep Ivan’s growth on track despite his injuries. If managed, he could grow to be as big as his canine dad. Meanwhile, Duke needs frequent medication to relieve pain and has less than half of his vision.
English Bullmastiff and Piglet – A “Special Bond”
Rebecca Holmes, sanctuary director, described the pair as having a “special bond”, explaining that the usual laws of nature “don’t appear to apply”.
“It’s rather disconcerting at first because Ivan is just lying there. You think there’s a terrible accident, but when you look at his face he’s really enjoying it.
“They’d been out running around and Ivan had been a bit dirty so Duke decided to clean him. We think it’s just to groom him.
“Duke looks happy to look after him. He’s a lovely dog that just wants to love and be loved, so having a buddy like that is really nice.
On their Facebook page, Brightside Farm Sanctuary said: “This beautiful weather meant it is extra hard work washing a pig. Duke decided to wash Ivan yesterday. Ivan loved every minute of it. The Brightside animals never cease to amaze me”.
