Little Girl Who Thinks She’s a Dog Was Raised by German Shepherds and an Estrela Mountain Dog

When she was a toddler, a little named River thought that she was a dog and so did the five German shepherds (Koba, Meeker, Brenna, and Kai) and the giant Estrela Mountain Dog (Roman). River would follow the dogs around, eat from their bowls, drink from their water, and generally be one of the pack. Now that she’s a little older, River takes care of the dogs.

No as soon as she started crawling, she would follow them around and copy them she’ put her hands in their water bowl and try to drink. it if I wasn’t careful yuck and would try to eat their food …she also loved getting in their crates…Sometimes I think she thinks she’s a dog. …she’s two now and instead of acting like her dogs, she likes to take care of them. 

River’s mother Ashley believes that children who grow up around animals learn compassion, responsibility, and empathy at a young age, along with other advantages.

Dogs learn how to be calm around children and they teach kids responsibility and empathy not to mention babies in pet homes tend to have better immune systems. Dogs generally are a kid’s first best friend and it’s so wonderful to see their relationship develop over time into something beautiful.

Sadly, beautiful Koba passed away from cancer on November 22, 2024 and Ryker currently has cancer. Ashley has set up a GoFundMe to help the family pay for their medical bills.