Zip, a rescue dog owned by Karla Swindle, had always been around his mom at the barn where she takes care of foals every year.

However, although the dog was quite familiar with the small and bigger horses, he never chose to go closer to them.

He observed from a safe distance.

“We raise foals every year, and he would kind of look in the door and just look at them,” Swindle told The Dodo.

Yet, three years ago something happened that completely changed Zip’s behavior towards the baby horses, even if only for a while.

You see, a horse gave birth to a foal, and then she got really sick.

Swindle was there for the mama horse while she was fighting for her life, hoping that she could help her overcome that hardship.

“I spent the night at the barn taking care of the mama horse, hoping that I could pull her through,” the woman said.

On the ninth day after the foal’s birth, Swindle knew that something was very wrong with the older horse.

She stayed with her at the barn, but things were not looking good for the poor mare.

Weirdly enough, and unlike what Swindle expected him to do, Zip stayed with them at the barn alley, whining all night as if he knew something really bad was about to happen.

Zip knew what was coming.

Indeed, the next morning the female horse died, leaving her little one behind.

Foals need to be close to their mothers for more or less six months after they are born so that they protect them and provide everything they need to grow up into healthy and independent horses.

But Tye, as they named the orphaned foal, could not have that.

It broke his spirit.

It seemed he was bound to grow up on his own, emotionally shattered after his mom’s passing.

But Zip wouldn’t let that happen.

Zip, who had experienced the horse’s loss and the foal’s distress, knew that he could not let that happen.

So, for the six weeks that followed, he followed Swindle whenever she went to the barn to check on the foal, feed him, and take care of him.

“Every time I would take off to the barn, Zip would run to the stall, and stand in front of the stall and wait for me to get there,” Swindle said. “He would beat me to the barn every time.”

It was the weirdest thing for Zip to do, while at the same time it was the sweetest.

Zip would try to be close to the foal as much as possible, lying his head on top of the foal’s head thus comforting him and helping him relax.

Zip was there for him

He did exactly what an adoptive dad would have done for their little one.

Zip only gave what was needed.

When the foal was finally ready to go out and play independently, Zip returned to his “look but don’t touch” self.

He kept his distance but it was obvious he was still proud of the boy he had raised.

See Zip comfort his forlorn foal friend in the video below!

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Source: AL.com – YouTube, The Dodo