Toddler Blends In Well With A Pack Of Five German Shepherds: She Thinks She’s One Of Them [Video]

• A 14-month-old toddler named River grew up with 5 German Shepherds.
• In a TikTok video that has gained more than 9 million views, River is shown how she copies how her dog siblings walk, staying in their crate and even sampling their food.
• In a research at the University of British Columbia, dogs have the mental capacity of a 2-year-old thus the strong kinship between toddler and dogs. 

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When Ashley Shell was pregnant with her daughter, River, she was nervous at how her dogs would react to the baby.  But the dogs have proven they are more than good with their sister. 

@von.jakoba I should have named her Mowgli #dogsandbabies #dogsoftiktok #germanshepherd #babiesoftiktok #toddlersoftiktok ♬ I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) – From "The Jungle Book" / Soundtrack Version – Louis Prima & Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman

As River was raised with the five dogs, she sometimes thinks she’s a dog, the mom’s caption reads in a video shared on TikTok @von.jakoba or Jakoba German Shepherds.

The 14-month-old girl is having fun living life with her canine siblings, having a taste of their food, crawling on all fours, dipping in a puddle, crawling inside their cage while listening to music, among others.

Shell said there were a few times they forgot that they put up the dog’s water and food and River happily splashed on the water and tried to eat their food.

Shell continued, “She likes to follow them around and see what they’re up to.” She added, “She also loves to throw her food down when she’s done eating it, so the dogs absolutely love her for that. Every morning I make her eggs, and the dogs know she’ll throw it down to them after a while.”

@von.jakoba 🥰🥰 #germanshepherd #dogsoftiktok #babiesoftiktok #dogsandbabies #babiesanddogs #heartwarming ♬ Cute – Bensound

River also likes sitting near the dogs and “occasionally give them gentle hugs and kisses” when she’s not feeding them with her food.

It is not surprising how the toddler and her canine friends jive because a study revealed that dogs have a 2-year-old’s intelligence.

Stanley Coren, a canine researcher of the University of British Columbia told the American Psychology Association that dogs understand more than 150 words and can deliberately get people to give them treats and trick other dogs.

In time, River will have a more advanced mental capacity but the bond that she formed with them is important as they are a part of her family.

So far, the video has racked up more than 9 million views on social media.

A commenter wrote, “This is too cute,” while another said, “the only baby that can actually say they were raised by wolves.”

Shell stressed that while they are delighted over the response to their video, “It’s all about teaching respect and boundaries for both the dogs and River.” People should realize that these short video clips should be taken at face value.

Meanwhile, have fun with your doggy siblings, River!

Source: Newsweek