A gaggle of goslings have found an unlikely surrogate mother in a Great Dane dog.
The goslings hatched earlier this week, in a Grade 1 classroom at Countryside Village Public School in Brampton, Ont., from eggs donated by the school's custodian.
The four goslings spend their days in the classroom, and are taken home each night by teacher Jacinthe Page.
Page told CTVNews.ca that on their first night in her home, the goslings made an unlikely connection with another animal that lives there.
"My Great Dane bonded with them right away," Page said Friday.
Page said 9-year-old Rogue has "always had the mom gene," and often tried to cuddle with the family's parrot. So, when Page brought the day-old goslings home, she put them down on the ground next to the great big dog.
"As soon as I put the geese with (Rogue), she laid down and didn't move," Page said.
"The goslings just stayed with her and cuddled up for warmth."
The tiny birds did not form a bond with Page's parrot.
The goslings quickly began to see the dog as a mother figure, Page said, following the gentle giant around the home.
"They never left her side… They stay by her, nibble on her fur and walk around her."
When the geese are in their bin, a plastic container lined with sawdust and lit by a warm light, the dog sits next to them and keeps an eye on them, she said.
"This morning, when I had to take the geese back to school, Rogue was very upset with me and followed me right out the door. I had to convince her to go back home."
The goslings will spend days at school and nights at Page's home until they become too big to live in the classroom. They will then be returned to the custodian's farm.
