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Man found a newborn squirrel in his driveway, raised it, and now they're best friends.

Robert "Bobby" T. Squirrel's personality is "about halfway between a cat and a dog."

a@robertsquirrel/TikTok

Bobby the squirrel lives outside now, but still comes in for a visit pretty much every day.

In late 2022 when Ron Milburn came across a tiny, hairless creature the size of his thumb in his driveway, he had no idea what it was. So, he took it inside, wrapped it up to keep it warm and started Googling. After figuring out it was a newborn squirrel that had probably fallen out of its nest, he put it back outside in a shallow box and waited to see if the mom would return for it. She did come to check it out, but then left it again. (Later, Milburn would find out that the baby squirrel had a mouth deformity which most likely made it unable to suckle properly.)

Milburn didn't think the wee one would survive, but he decided to do his best. He took it back inside and began feeding it puppy formula with a syringe every three hours, around the clock. He said it was "like having a newborn baby in the house." It worked. The squirrel grew and grew and they began to bond.

Once Milburn knew the babe was going to make it and could identify it as a male, he named him Bobby (Robert T. Squirrel, to be precise—the T is for "The"). Milburn shared the story of Bobby's rescue and their relationship with Newsner's We Love Animals channel, and I feel a duty to warn you that the video will almost-pretty-much-for-sure make you want a pet squirrel.

Milburn shared the video on his TikTok channel dedicated to Bobby, where it has collected more than four million views.

Watch:

@robertsquirrel

From an interview on Newsner who has 30 million followers in 11 languages

But that's not where the story ends.

Bobby has a family now out in his little squirrel house. He and his squirrel wife, Barbara Ann, are the proud parents of four youngsters—Peepers, Jeepers, Creepers and Sneekers.

"Peepers seldom ventures from the treehouse, and Jeepers is a bit more adventurous. Creepers creeps out further, and Sneekers sneaks into other trees," Milburn shared on his website, BobbySquirrel.com.

Milburn's @robertsquirrel TikTok channel has a trove of sweet videos like this one, in which Bobby came inside because he was scared of a thunderstorm.

@robertsquirrel

Scares #bobbysquirrel #storm #thunder #throwbackthursday #fyp #nature


He knew just where to go for safety and comfort. Too sweet.

Bobby is totally comfortable going back and forth from his outdoor home to his human's home—and his human's pockets.

@robertsquirrel

Pocket Squirrel #bobbysquirrel #squirrel #fyp #nature #funny #love


In fact, Milburn shares, Bobby comes to visit him inside almost every day.

Unfortunately, Milburn has run into some trouble with his HOA, which informed him that he needed to stop feeding the squirrels in his yard as they were considered a "nuisance."

But who could watch Bobby listening to his story being told in the video below and tell us he's a nuisance? Come on now.

@robertsquirrel

Happy time #bobbysquirrel #throwbackthursday #squirrel


Milburn has been asked if squirrels make good pets, and he has clarified that raising one as a newborn is very different than trying to domesticate a wild squirrel. Squirrels do have sharp teeth and long claws, he pointed out in a video with this face covered in Band-Aids. (He shared that he's been working on building a friendship with Barbara Ann, who grew up in the wild, and while it's slow-going, he feels he's making progress.)

Milburn has also created a children's book called Bobby and Friends, which includes 10 short stories for children ages 2 to 11 and an accompanying coloring book.

People can't get enough of Bobby the squirrel, and who can blame them? He's the pet squirrel most of us wish we could have—one who has a full outdoor life as he should, but who also likes to come in for some cuddles with his people.

In September 2024, Milburn published his second "Bobby book" entitled The Squirrel Who Lives in the Big Oak Tree, a picture book that retells Bobby and Ron's story.

But that's not all. In partnership with Mystic River Productions, Bobby's got his first movie production, Beyond Detention, under his belt. Written by Milburn and starring Arthur Wahlberg and some new up-and-comers, Bobby's first movie was released on February 6, 2025 with BayView Entertainment and chronicles "seven stranded delinquents" sentence to a wilderness challenge on a remote island. The film is available on Amazon Prime and can be streamed for free on YouTube and Fawesome.

Check out the trailer:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

What will Bobby do next?

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Family

Kids will be kids: 12 wild animals share totally relatable parenting woes

Watch how these different species handle tantrums, bath time, and kids who refuse to cooperate.

Photo by Sophie Dale on Unsplash

Parenting in the animal kingdom sometimes looks a lot like human parenting.

"Is my kid the only one who does this?" Parents find themselves pondering this question all the time. No matter how great your children are, they will sometimes do things that make you wonder how you ever thought you had the patience and energy to be a parent.

The good news is, the resounding answer is "no"—your child is most certainly not alone in whatever inexplicable thing they are doing, whether it's throwing a tantrum over their cup being the wrong color (even though it's the one they specifically asked for) or somehow scaling to the top of the refrigerator in the 0.3 seconds you took your eyes off them.

In fact, parents across the animal kingdom have to deal with similar behavior challenges from their offspring. Though human parenting is obviously more complex, seeing that kids are kids no matter the species can be comforting for parents who have reached their wit's end.

How familiar are these parenting woes?

When you have to carry your toddler to where you need them to be, only to have them run away immediately

Her blank stare into the distance at the end is all too relatable. As one commenter wrote, "That’s the look of let me calm down before the 'I brought you in this world and I can take you out' comes into play. 😂😂"

When you're trying to pull your toddler away from something that's completely captured their curiosity

Mama's like, "Come on, sweetie…nope, this way…you need to leave these nice people alone now…time to go…I know you really like it, but we have to go now…hey, I have a snack…how about some ice cream?"

When your baby is just barely walking and you want to help them, but you also know they have to slip and fall sometimes to learn

Sweet little muffin.

When it's time to leave the playground and your kiddo 100% does not want to

100% familiar.

When you're trying to take a nap with your child and they won't stop fidgeting

@abc7newsbayarea

A fidgety polar bear cub was seen attempting to nestle atop its mother at a park near Churchill, Manitoba. Video shows the small cub constantly shifting in an attempt to find the perfect resting position along the back of its sleepy mother. #polarbear #polarbears #bear #bears #cub #polarbearcub #mommabear #snow #animal #animals #churchill #manitoba #news #fyp #foryoupage #abc7news

"Just lie still and go to sleeeeeeep."

When the teen starts getting too big for their britches and thinks they can do whatever

The look that said, "When you start paying the mortgage, you can sit wherever you want."

When your kid hates the bath but they desperately need one

Some kids love the bath and some kids hate it. This is as true for pandas as it is for humans, apparently.

When your kid won't stop using you as a climbing apparatus

@gorilla.garden

Praha Zoo. Funny interaction between Nuru the gorilla boy and his dad Richardovi. Original footage of the video screen is from Facebook author Martina Šmelová.Thank you for sharing interesting stories about Praha Zoo and hope more viewers will follow them.#gorilla #silverback #fpy #foryou #silverbackgorilla #gorillas #babygorilla #animals #zoo

Seriously, kid. I am not a jungle gym.

When Dad says no, so the kid goes running to Mom

@us.gem

Humans alike 🥺 #gorrila #zoo #pov #jackieinteresting #cute #animals #foryou

If not for a yes, at least for some sympathy.

When Mom is touched out and at the end of her rope

@frolic.the.meadow

#zoo #funnyanimals #babygorilla #Kayembe #mamalife #momlife #mommalife

You're a loving, affectionate mother 99% of the time, but then you hit the "If one more person touches me one more time today" breaking point.

When the whining and complaining is relentless

@tednewy

Visit TikTok to discover videos!

Pretty sure this is the penguin equivalent of, "Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama…"

When the kiddo's throwing a non-stop tantrum and you just needs a break

@animal_world140

#fyp #nature #wildlife #interesting #babyanimals #koala

Sometimes you're able to help a tantruming child work through their feelings, and sometimes you need to step away before you lose your mind. It's called balance.

Parenting is full of joys as well as challenges, and it's nice to know we're not alone in either. What's interesting is how calm and patient most of these parents are in the faces of their kids' shenanigans. Perhaps there's a lesson there for all of us, regardless of species.

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parenting
Joy

Moms are swooning over the way a male cat on TikTok cares for his partner in labor

What a lucky mama cat.

Santos & Poppy|TikTok

A cat named Santos is an adorably supportive dad and partner.

You don't often hear about male cats hanging around much after kittens are born, but maybe it's because they don't live with the mama cat. It could also be because most indoor cats are fixed, so cat dads don't get to flex their parental abilities. But there's a cat family on TikTok that has been shattering the tomcat stereotype, because Santos, who recently welcomed kittens with his partner, Poppy, is showing people how it's done.

In the first video, Poppy is in labor, and Santos, the black cat, is right by her side. He climbs into the box and offers support through gentle touches with his paws. His attentiveness to the laboring mother of his kittens is making humans take notes. Santos looks to not only rub the orange tabby cat's back while she's laboring but give her snuggles when the babies are born.

If they weren't cats it would look like a supportive soon-to-be dad taking care of his laboring wife. The fact that they're cats just ups the "aww" factor.

But the cuteness overload didn't end with the first video. Santos and Poppy's owner uploaded a couple of updates that not only continued to show that Santos is an attentive partner, but an involved dad as well. Are there "how to be a dad" classes for cats that we don't know about? Judging by the comments, Santos may be needed to teach the class to some human dads out there.

"That kitty had more affection than ALL my exes put together," one woman wrote.

"Human fathers should be taking tips," another wrote, complete with a nail painting emoji.

While there are plenty of human dads out there that are extremely supportive partners, commenters were focused on how a cat could be more intuitive than those humans who are not.

@santospoppy

Best dad award goes to Santos ❤️🐈‍⬛ PS My boy has been neutered (thanks for the correction) not too long ago, she will also be fixed whenever shes ready #catsoftiktok #fyp #babydaddy #dadcat

In a different video, the papa cat is left to make sure the kittens go potty while mama cat takes a break. The entire series of videos is beyond cute and a must watch for a serotonin boost.

@santospoppy

🐈‍⬛ still the best dad (Dont worry, he is fixed now and its all under supervision) #catsoftiktok #babydaddy #kittensoftiktok #lovestory

And while the black cat makes an excellent dad, this will be his only chance at fatherhood. After many comments around getting the cats fixed, the person who runs the cat account reported that he is indeed fixed now and Poppy will also be spayed soon. For now, people can just enjoy the happy cat family content. Who knows, maybe Santos will pop the question and we'll get a cat wedding to look forward to.

@santospoppy

🐈‍⬛ still the best dad (Dont worry, he is fixed now and its all under supervision) #catsoftiktok #babydaddy #kittensoftiktok #lovestory

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animal videos
Joy

'Stealthy' dog gets around the house by tiptoeing everywhere and it's strangely adorable

He started tiptoeing as a puppy to sneak things, and now he does it all the time until someone makes eye contact.

Photo by Cierra Voelkl on Unsplash

Dog gets around the house by tiptoeing.

Dogs can be weird. They've all got their own personalities and sometimes we owners have to raise an eyebrow and scratch our heads trying to figure out what they're thinking. Milton, a family's pit bull has taken to sneaking around his house for no real reason. Or maybe there is a reason, but he keeps getting caught before he can finish his diabolical plan.

Danielle Tholen told The Dodo that he started tiptoeing to get to his own food bowl when he was about 7 months old, so she took him to the vet thinking something was wrong with the puppy. Turns out, he's just really bad at sneaking...well, kinda. Milton is so quiet that you can't hear him on the hardwood floors, but he's also a fairly large dog who tiptoes right in front of people.

But shhhh...he's a stealthy boy.

"He legitimately does it to try to steal food, or make himself available in case I drop some food or he can steal it from the trash. He's sneaky," Tholen says in the video.

Milt's owner goes on to explain that the constant tiptoeing started about two or three years ago, but when he was a puppy, it was just every once in a while. It's certainly an interesting way to get around the house. I suppose if you're constantly tiptoeing, then eventually your silent movements will land you with a stray spoil of vittles as your reward.

But Milton moves so slowly while he's attempting to stealthily sneak forbidden treats that it looks like someone has accidentally hit slow motion on the remote. His peculiar behavior is adorable and seems to keep his owner laughing.

Watch Milton creep around below:

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