Here’s the sweet story of a unique foster dad, Atlas, who happens to be a giant American Staffordshire or Pit bull. Despite his appearance, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Sure, he’s a 120-pound behemoth, but he’s an incredibly nurturing soul.
Atlas with foster kitten. Screenshot via YouTube/The Dodo
Atlas is also a certified therapy dog with Pet Partners, helping the community in the Santa Clarita Valley. Below, you can see how gentle he is with the tiniest foster kittens.
Images, media via Instagram/maddies_pawse
Atlas’s mom Nicole frequently fosters kittens in the home which are no bigger than his paw.
Atlas is a Full-Time Foster Dad/Dog
Before caring for kittens, he was very sweet with many other foster animals in the home. Then, one day, Nicole decided to introduce him carefully to kittens. Right away, he knew they were for him and loved being a foster dad.
“As soon as we brought the babies home, Atlas immediately took on the role of foster dad,” Nicole said. “It was a full-time job.”
The Dodo has created adorable videos showing the sweet foster dad on the job. He lets the kittens use him as a jungle gym but sometimes takes a break and crawls into a hammock.
Nicole carefully supervises the interactions, but Atlas knows to always be gentle and still near the kittens. As they grew, you can see that he loves interacting with the playful kittens, even when they swatted at his ears or tail. It’s as if he knows he’s the babysitter.
He Was Rescued from a Shelter Too
Nicole adopted Atlas as a blue-eyed pup from an animal shelter. She fell in love with him at first sight and always knew he would be an amazing addition to her family. Now, it remains wonderful to see how gentle he is with all the furbabies.
Another video by The Dodo shows Atlas interacting with more animals, a tiny puppy, a baby bird, and even a cicada insect! Amazingly, he’s gentle with every creature he meets, and it’s so lovely to witness. But on his breaks, he learned to haul himself into the outdoor hammock for some quiet time.
Atlas Helps Heal People Too
When Atlas isn’t fostering the furbabies in the Santa Clarita Valley home, he’s helping people as a therapy dog. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
“I’ve learned to never judge a book by its cover,” Nicole said. “So many people are quick to judge him by his size and his breed. It melts my heart to see how he is with tiny kittens.”
As a Pittie, people can see Atlas as a little scary, but there’s nothing scary about this dog.
“I think it is important for people to see that they are average dogs and they can give back just like any other dog,” Nicole told the local news. “They have a demeanor about them that is special and people need to see that side of them.”
“Nicole Graham and her pitbull Atlas, a certified therapy dog, attended the event to provide comfort to those in need of it.” Vivianna Shields / The Signal.
You can see more of Atlas and his family on Instagram and TikTok. Here’s a recent TikTok that shows that he is now taking orders for “attentions” from the foster kittens. You can see another foster kitten hanging out behind the pillow in the background.
