There are few things more heartwarming than stories of dogs going above and beyond to rescue a human being. We are all familiar with the things that humans do improve the lives of struggling dogs – and in Argentina, there are countless street dogs living in unsafe conditions. In this story, you’ll learn how one troubled dog street dog, in particular, managed to save a human life.

Way is a dog from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has lived a hard life on the streets – but she also surely has a heart of gold.

The sweet, stray dog was never spayed and she had recently given birth to a litter of puppies – and it would no doubt prove difficult for her to feed herself and all those puppies, but she did her best.

Way, knowing that she had to feed her puppies, she knew she had to scour the streets for any possible food scraps to nourish herself and her babies. Given the fact that it was July in Argentina, their winter season, the temperatures can drop to near freezing, so she had to hustle.

As Way was walking through an alley, the dog came across a heartbreaking thing – a newborn baby that had been abandoned by its mother.

Immediately, Way’s maternal instincts kicked in, and she knew that the baby needed warmth and protection. Unable to move the baby which was nearly her size, she ran back to her puppies and, one by one, carried them all the way back. She then carefully positioned each puppy around the lonely newborn. After positioning her whole litter, she wrapped herself around them to keep them all warm for the night.

The following morning, a resident in the area, Alejandria Griffin, heard muffled cries through her apartment window. Curious, she went outside to investigate.

Alejandria was absolutely stunned to find that the cries were coming from a newborn baby, and that Way had adopted him into her litter.

Alejandria had no idea how long the baby boy had been there and rushed to call the police. They then rushed the newborn, named Santino, to the emergency room for immediate medical evaluation.

“She took it like a puppy and rescued it,” Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires told CNN. “The doctors told us if she hadn’t done this, he would have died. The dog is a hero to us.”

Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital, confirmed that the newborn was only a few hours old when he was found by Way.

Aside from a few superficial scratches, Santino was in surprisingly good condition for what could have happened. Had it not been for Way’s loving, maternal action, who knows what could have happened to that poor boy?

The next morning after Santino arrived at the hospital, police tracked down his mother, a 33-year-old Buenos Aires woman with 8 other children. She was arrested for abandoning the newborn. Way is a true hero – and she was later taken in by a local shelter where she and her babies found their forever homes.

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Source: CNN, The Animal Club