A viral video showing a sweet German shepherd babying random objects while she went through a false pregnancy has left the internet in tears.

Dog owner Laura Walton took to TikTok (@ava.adventure.gsd) to share how 11-month-old Ava treated even the most obscure household objects like a baby during a trying time. Ava had started nesting outside, became restless, and started carrying teddies around to self-soothe.

Walton, of Derby, England, told Newsweek that she wasn't sure what was going on at first, but she knew "something was not right" with Ava.

"She was behaving the same way as when she first came into season at 8 months old. But I knew it was too soon for her because it's usually 6 months between, and it had only been 3 months," Walton said.

After consulting with the vet about her concerns, Walton was told that Ava was experiencing a phantom pregnancy, also referred to as a false pregnancy. Dogs can exhibit maternal behavior and physical signs of pregnancy despite not actually being pregnant.

Females who haven't been spayed experience estrous cycles (known as heat) approximately every six to 12 months, and their hormone levels change dramatically when this happens to prepare them for pregnancy. However, if they don't conceive in that time, the hormones will decrease and return to normal.

But when dogs have a false pregnancy, PetMD explains that the change in hormones tricks their body into thinking a pregnancy has occurred and leads to the symptoms. There's no treatment for it, and it will usually resolve naturally in two to three weeks.

At first, Ava was babying her stuffed animals by carrying them around and lying with them. Walton was told by the vet to take them away to "help her get over it," but instead, Ava simply found other items to dote on, such as a block of wood or a plant pot.

"I felt quite mean stealing all her teddies, but she didn't seem to care or be looking for them. She just found other objects to carry about. It was mainly about being gentle and understanding, knowing that her hormones are all over the place and out of her control," Walton said.

"We managed to control it quite quickly, so she never got too possessive of her toys and didn't build a nest, and her milk dried up quickly. I think removing her teddies helped her get through it."

Fortunately, Ava has stopped babying random objects now and is no longer nesting, but her owner says she still isn't back to her normal self.

After posting the heartbreaking clip of Ava and "her new babies" during the false pregnancy, it went viral on TikTok with over 863,200 views and more than 109,900 likes. The footage of her carrying around such obscure items and trying to be maternal melted so many hearts online.

Walton thought it was a cute video and wanted to connect with other dog owners who had similar experiences, but she never expected the video to generate so much attention.

She told Newsweek: "There were a lot of cute comments saying I should get her a puppy or find foster puppies for her, which is a sweet thought, but I think this would just make her worse and prolong her condition.

"I'm not planning on breeding from her, but if I did, I know she'd be a great mother."

In just a matter of days, the TikTok post amassed hundreds of comments. One comment reads: "My dog had a false pregnancy and raised 2 beautiful shoes. They were also the cleanest shoes I ever had."

Another TikToker posted: "Perfect excuse to get a puppy!"

One dog owner wrote: "My dog is also going through this, her baby today is a slice of toast."

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