Humans have many natural instincts, and most of these help us to build a community that thrives on kindness and compassion.

In fact, research has found that human suffering is “often accompanied by beautiful acts of compassion by others wishing to help relieve it”.

But are humans the only species to feel empathy and compassion? This story will convince you otherwise.

Ralph Dorn lives in a house that backs onto a lake in Culpeper, Virginia, with his wife and dog, Harley.

One evening, Ralph was unable to find Harley, a Goldendoodle and certified therapy dog. It was only when he walked further towards the lake that he spotted him.

The 6-year-old pup had, it seemed, gone for a swim. He was about 200-feet from the shore when Ralph found him.

But when Ralph looked again, he realized this wasn’t just a leisurely swim – it was a rescue mission.

Harley had found a drowning tiny fawn. Ralph had no idea how the baby deer had managed to get so deep into the water, but by the looks of things, Harley was handling the situation just fine.

Ralph took photos of the rescue, and when he shared them on Facebook, his post immediately went viral.

In the post, he wrote:

“Harley obviously didn’t ask why, he just jumped into action.”

Ralph’s photos show Harley patiently paddling with the fawn until the pair reached the shore. From there, Ralph helped the baby deer up a steep ledge.

You’d think that was enough cuteness in itself, but there’s more.

Once Ralph rescued the fawn, he set her on the grass. That’s when Harley approached and started to gently lick the fawn’s body, as if trying to wash her clean.

The fawn’s mother showed up pretty quickly after her baby had been rescued, and Ralph took Harley inside. Mother and daughter walked off, and that should’ve been that.

But the following morning, while Ralph was eating breakfast, Harley jumped at the window, frantic.

Ralph let him outside – and that’s when he heard the fawn bleating. Harley and the tiny deer had a sweet reunion, touching noses and sniffing one another, their tails wagging.

For Ralph and his wife, Patricia, Harley’s life-saving gesture is just another example of his loving, caring temperament.

Ralph said:

“We could tell right away, even as a puppy, he had such a good heart. He has always been like that with children and animals. He loves them all.”

But what Raph didn’t expect were the thousands of comments from strangers that his post would attract.

One person wrote:

“Aww…this is one of the sweetest things I have ever seen. Good job Harley!”

Someone else could see Harley’s name in lights, writing:

“Amazing! Harley needs to be featured in a newspaper, a movie or a book.”

Scroll down to watch the footage of Harley and the fawn climbing onto dry land after Harley’s brave mission.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Ralph Dorn/ Facebook, My Positive Outlooks, Psychology Today