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This Adorable Dog And His Adopted Kittens Show That Families Come In All Shapes And Species

Who said love has to be conventional?
Couch snuggles are the best.
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Couch snuggles are the best.

When Eliza Henry-Jones and her husband Ben Hibbs took in two rescue kittens through Forever Friends Animal Rescue, they thought it would just be for a few weeks while they nursed them back to health.

But that was until their dog Hugo decided to take them under his paw -- quite literally.

Little Gingy and his brother Grum were "tiny, full of worms and covered in fleas" when they arrived on Eliza and Ben's doorstep. Initially, the pup couldn't work out what they were.

"Hugo had never seen a kitten before – the closest he'd come was growing up with my mother's cat," Eliza explained.

"He stared at them in terror from across the room while we cuddled and fed them."

But that didn't last long.

"Out of the blue, he realised that he ADORED them," Eliza said.

"He brought them his favourite toys and bits of dried dog food. He groomed them and slept with them."

Nawwww.
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Nawwww.
"Mum, please can we keep them?"
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"Mum, please can we keep them?"

While the dog treats didn't go down so well, the kittens soon decided that Hugo was pretty great, too. Before long, the trio were inseparable.

"We didn't have a choice - we had to adopt the kittens as pets for our dog."

Two years on, Hugo has upped his adopted-father game, letting the two no-longer-so-tiny cats tread, lick and claw all over him. However, he does tend to play favourites.

"Gingy will groom Hugo every day and Hugo will bring Gingy his favourite toys," Eliza said.

"Sometimes Hugo and Gingy will disappear from whatever room we're all in and we'll find them fast asleep together in another room.

"When Hugo goes outside for too long, Gingy cries until he comes back in. I've never met two animals who love each other as much as these two."

"He's not going anywhere."
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"He's not going anywhere."

So let's hope there are more Hugos out there ready to open up a spot on the couch to cats and dogs looking for a home this Christmas.

Can they get any cuter?!
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Can they get any cuter?!
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