One well-pampered little squirrel

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Finnegan the squirrel, was found injured and malnourished in the Seattle area in September 2005, when he was but a few days old. He was brought to Debby Cantlon, an area resident with a reputation for taking in sick and injured animals and nursing them back to health.

What happened next was a bit unexpected. Ms. Cantlon reported that her black and white Papillon dog, Mademoiselle Giselle, who was pregnant at the time, twice dragged the kennel in which Finnegan was being cared for across the house and deposited it next to her own doggie bed.

After Mademoiselle Giselle gave birth to her pups but continued to pay as much (or more) attention to Finnegan than to her own litter, Ms. Cantlon decided to let Finnegan out of his cage and see what happened. And what happened was that Mademoiselle Giselle adopted Finnegan as one of her own. Two days after giving birth mama dog Giselle allowed Finnegan to nurse; family photo's and a video tape show her encouraging him to suckle alongside her litter of five pups. Finnegan made himself at home with his new litter mates, nuzzling nose-to-nose for a nap after feeding.

Finnegan eventually grew strong and healthy and was successfully released back into nature. It is said that he came back and visited the family on a few occassions showing them his new friends - three other squirrels.