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Dog Befriends Abandoned Baby Giraffe And Watches Over Its Recovery

Is there anything in the world better than dogs? I mean, cake is pretty darn amazing, but will it love you as unconditionally as you love it?

No? There, my very-much-a-stretch point is made. Deal with it.

Seriously, though, just check out this recent story about a dog that decided to take the protection of another animal into its paws.

The Rhino Orphanage in South Africa usually takes care of, well, rhinos, but when a farmer found a baby giraffe, they couldn't leave it to die.

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The giraffe, now named Jazz, was alone in the wild, abandoned by his mom, dehydrated and starving. He was only 2-3 days old and almost comatose.

Rescuers hooked up IV fluids and after 18 hours, Jazz finally woke up.

The next morning, Jazz was strong enough to drink his first bottle of milk!

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But Jazz didn't spend the night alone. A dog named Hunter stayed by his side. In their Facebook post the orphanage said:

"Our anti-poaching and security dog, Hunter has fallen head over heals for the little giraffe and has claimed ownership 😄 since Jazz's arrival. He stays in the room all day with Jazz and the carers and doesn't allow his brother Duke close."

In fact, Hunter was so worried about the baby giraffe that he refused to eat.

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It was only after he saw Jazz finish a whole bottle of milk that Hunter was willing to have his own meal.

After a couple of days, some branches were hung in the room and Jazz quickly figured out that they were tasty.

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Meanwhile, Hunter watched over him.

Jazz has an infection in his eye due to blood pooling while he was comatose, but antibiotics have been clearing it up quickly. Once it's healed, he'll be able to start exploring outside.

While Hunter's caring for the giraffe was obvious from the start, it wasn't clear whether Jazz took much note.

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That is, until they caught an adorable exchange on video. Jazz gave Hunter a few licks and then curled up with him.

It's really freaking adorable!

If you want to follow along with Jazz's progress or support The Rhino Hospital in general, be sure to check out their Facebook page

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