A stray dog brought her lifeless puppy to the doorstep of a local veterinarian clinic, saving its life.
Back in January of 2025, in the Beylikdüzü district in Istanbul, heartbreaking security camera footage showed a stray dog holding a puppy in its mouth and bringing it to the doorstep of a local veterinary clinic. The veterinarian that answered the door found the puppy lifeless, and immediately took it in while the pup’s mother followed.
The puppy was dying from a slow heartbeat due to the cold outside, but the vets rushed to give it emergency treatment. Throughout the procedure, the mother dog stayed by her little one’s side. Thanks to quick action and care, the pup survived, and is being cared for at the clinic alongside its mother.
Turns out—this puppy as actually related to another puppy brought in earlier by some animal lovers who believed it to be the sole survivor of its litter…resulting in an unexpected and touching family reunion.
"We thought all of them had died. It turns out there was one sibling that survived,” said veterinarian and clinic owner, Baturalp Oğhan in an interview. “When our technician noticed the situation, he brought it inside. We realized the puppy's heart was beating. We placed it in intensive care. It is currently continuing treatment with its sibling."
Mama dod staying with her babe as the veterinarian administered treatment. @beylikduzu_alfa_veteriner
While it is unfortunate that the rest of the litter had passed, this mother dog’s actions not only saved one of her pups but had reunited her with another one.
According to World Population Review, there is a pet dog in 30% of all households globally. There are 90 million pet dogs housed in the United States alone. Bear in mind, that's counting the dogs that are housed and cared for by humans. Just imagine how many dogs are still out there like that mother dog, along with the number of dogs that sadly didn’t make it like that lucky puppy.
The recovering siblings sharing a meal together. @beylikduzu_alfa_veteriner
While it is remarkable that this mother dog, out of memory, instinct, desperation, or a combination of those traits took her puppy to the clinic, the onus cannot be on dogs themselves to receive the help and care they need. Fortunately, there are several animal shelters and clinics that can help care for these animals, but they still need to find ways to get there. Not all of them have smart dog mothers that can get them to a helpful human vet.
Puppy sleeping with mama dog@beylikduzu_alfa_veteriner
If you wish to help out a stray animal, such as a dog or cat, there are some steps you can take to be prepared if the situation presents itself. The Humane Society has a bunch of quality tips, such as keeping your car with supplies like fresh water, bowls, pet food, heavy blankets, etc., to keep the animal comfortable while waiting for animal control to arrive at the scene or if you choose to transport them yourself to a nearby shelter. Before you stock up, you should research to see if there are any state or local laws regarding housing lost or stray animals to make sure you’re following the legal methods.
We share a lot of space with “man’s best friend” and the least we can do is be a best friend back to them, especially when they’re in need.
This article originally appeared in January.
University Of Washington Dog GIF by Pac-12 Network