I want to run like you! Raised with six German Shepherds, the real “Mowgli” girl walks on all fours, uses the dog door and even steals their kibble
A toddler was named “Mowgli” by her mother after she learned to walk on all fours like the character from The Jungle Book.
River Shell, who grew up with her mother’s six German shepherds, has not only learned to walk on all fours, but also eats dog food when she gets the chance.
When the tot was first born, her mother, Ashley Shell, 31, claimed she was nervous about how the big dog pack would take on the tiny baby.
The 31-year-old from Tulsa needn’t have worried, however, as the dogs became instant best friends and accepted River as one of their own.
River Shell, a toddler from Tulsa, was nicknamed “Mowgli” by her mother after she learned to walk on all fours like a dog. She is pictured here with five of her mother’s dogs
Now curious River enjoys playing with puppies Meeka, Kai, Ryker, Koba, Brenna and Roma every day so much that she has started acting like an adorable pup herself.
Not only did the little girl start walking on all fours like her furry friends, influencer Ashley claims she started climbing through the dog flap.
In a clip shared by Ashley, River is first seen as a helpless newborn curiously surrounded by the animals, before she is recently filmed playing with her water bowl.
The cute toddler enjoys sitting in his crate and playing with his toys, and even secretly tries to eat his food “at every opportunity” – with footage capturing Ashley apparently having to fish around in her mouth to find some kibble.
Toddler has learned to walk on all fours like her furry friends. River (pictured) loves to play with her mother’s six German Shepherd dogs
River was filmed by her mother Ashley, 31, playing in the dogs’ water bowl and learning to be gentle with the dogs
Influencer Ashley (pictured with River) explains how the tot is still learning to be gentle with the animals
When River was about eight months old, she began observing the dogs and trying to imitate them
After the video was shared on TikTok, Ashley’s video received more than 9.1 million views and more than 2 million likes and comments.
Ashley explained, “When she was about eight months old, she started watching them and trying to copy what they were doing.
“She loves to play in her water if we forget to pick it up, and she tries to sneak in dog food whenever she gets a chance. She tried to follow them through the dog door recently.
Ashley’s six German Shepherds pictured, Meeka, Kai, Ryker, Koba, Brenna and Roma
River loves putting her toys in the dog crate and playing with them and has also started using the dog door
In a clip shared by Ashley, River is first seen as a helpless newborn with the animals curiously surrounding her
Ashley explained how her German shepherds were gentle but curious from the start when River was a baby, and that River is still learning to be gentle with them by petting and hugging them.
Ashley said: “River usually smiles at them when she sees them and goes over to give them a hug or a kiss. She’s trying to say their names.’
After the clip was posted to Ashley’s social media, some viewers began comparing the young child to Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli character
After the clip was posted to social media, some viewers joked that she had a “great immune system” – while others saw the comparison to Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli character.
One viewer said: “She’s going to have a great immune system. I think it’s great!’
Another follower said: “This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Another dog owner said, “Not the Mowgli walk.”
Another mum said: “What a happy beautiful baby she is.”