A donkey ditched by its mom now thinks it's a dog after it was raised among pooches.

John Nuttall and his partner Gražina Pervenis live on England's east coast, and when they saw the mother of a miniature mule rejecting her own foal, they decided to hand-rear him in their homes.

3-month-old Kye had a tough start to his life after his mother turned on him, but Gražina, a dog trainer, suggested a hands-on approach.

The pair fitted the foal with a "doggie diaper" and shared caring duties over the next critical six weeks.

"I went to the pet shop and bought the big dog nappies because you don't want donkey baby poo all over the house," John, 64, told SWNS News.

In the first days, 40-year-old Gražina fed Kye with milk from his estranged mother through a tube to ensure the youngster got the right nutrients.

"She kept him on that for two-to-three weeks. She was feeding him every hour at that time - she was like a zombie."

Soon, Kye began playing with their dogs-and began exhibiting hound-like behavior.

Kye now comes running with the dogs whenever John whistles.

"He even started playing with a ball and everything, and now, I can go for a walk down the road, and he'll follow me like a dog."

He would come back in the house every evening "because he also needed human contact."

"If I get in my van to go out, he'll see it going and chase after the van. He's certainly a character.

Little Kye moved back into the paddock with other donkeys three weeks ago, and is getting stronger each day.

"He's grown up. He's got all his teeth, and he's eating well.

"He's going to live-that's the main thing. My main concern was to keep him alive."

KICK Start Some Happiness on Social Media By Sharing The Donkey Love…