PORTAGE, Mich. (CNN/WWMT) -- This story is proof that cats and dogs can do more than just fight, they can take care of one another. Here we introduce you to one special dog that is a kitten's best friend.

Meet Sydney. She's a beagle terrier mix and a new mother of five kittens. Sydney's owner Jhapel Santiago says, "She just took them in like they were her own."

Last week Heather Rector brought the kittens home after they were rescued from a construction site. She says it didn't take long for Sydney's maternal instincts to kick in. Rector says, "Two days of them being here, she was fully lactating, and ever since her breasts have been completely full, and she hasn't stopped lactating yet."

Now Sydney is feeding and bathing the kittens and she won't let them wander far without bringing them back to her bed. What's ironic is that a vet said this type of relationship was impossible. Rector says, "When it comes to life there is nothing written in stone. At the end of the day, nature's going to do, whatever nature does."

Jhapel Santiago is Sydney's owner. He says she's already had three litters of her own, but she seems happier now that she has little ones to look after again. He says, "She has always been a nice dog, so to see her doing that, it's a shocker at first, but that's just typical Sydney."

As a new mother herself, Rector says she's proud of Sydney's compassion. She says,
"You don't see a lot of people or animals do that anymore, and I think she did the exact thing I would have done."