When this Great Dane was experiencing a phantom pregnancy, her owner decided to comfort her with a small Chihuahua as a companion, but she had no idea that they'd become an inseparable duo.

When Birdie, a Harlequin Great Dane, suffered a false pregnancy last year, she was a shell of her former, energetic self. To help the dog cope with her loss, Birdie was given some tiny puppies to look after, and despite the drastic size difference, she developed an unbreakable bond with one of the Chihuahuas, named Froggy.

The duo's owner regularly shares clips of them together on TikTok (@deardanes), along with their other two Great Danes. The video of the "cannon event" has gone viral since it was shared in July, gaining over 375,000 views and 67,000 likes already.

Alongside the video, the owner wrote in the caption that the abandoned puppies were fostered to help Birdie "through her false pregnancy, but here we are a year later."

A false pregnancy, which is also referred to as a pseudopregnancy, occurs in unspayed female dogs when hormone levels change and trick the animal into thinking it is pregnant. Dogs that experience this will go through physical changes, including enlarged mammary glands that can sometimes produce milk, bellies possibly contracting and an increased appetite, according to WebMD.

As their body prepares to give birth, despite not being pregnant, dogs can also show behavioral changes. These include restlessness, nesting, putting blankets in their bed and reluctance to leave that area.

As their maternal instincts kick in, a dog might try to mother its toys or inanimate objects by carrying them everywhere and protecting them by keeping them in the nest it's created.

At the time of Birdie's phantom pregnancy, her owner watched how she searched all over the house for her puppies that were nowhere to be found.

After seeking advice from a vet, the family was given some newborn pups that had been abandoned on the side of the road, and Birdie instantly treated them as her own. The Great Dane was able to nurse and protect the pups, but she couldn't save all of them. Fortunately, Froggy survived and became Birdie's closest companion.

In the months since being rescued, Froggy has grown, but she's still tiny in comparison to her Great Dane bestie. Their owner regularly shares videos of the dogs together, and they're often seen snuggled up on the sofa.

Many TikTok users loved finding out the story behind Birdie and Froggy's friendship, and hundreds of users have commented on the July 15 post, praising the unlikely pairing.

One comment reads: "The love of those two is precious."

Another person responded: "3 Danes and a mini Dane."

Others joked about the size disparity between the breeds. One commenter wrote: "Birdie is like, why is my baby still baby sized?"

Newsweek could not verify the details of the video and reached out to @deardanes via TikTok for comment.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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