A clip has gone viral after a woman rescued six puppies from an abandoned house when an emaciated dog on the side of the road led her to the litter. The heartbreaking scene took place in Texas after a good Samaritan was approached by a very thin dog while driving through Cleveland.
Because Zully Vasques Ventura had prior experience rescuing stray dogs in the area, she could immediately tell something was not right. Before she was able to help, the dog fled, but upon her return to the site a few days later, Ventura found the animal in the exact same spot.
The dog was visibly malnourished and in distress, so Ventura made sure not to lose sight of her before eventually coaxing the animal to safety.
“She was desperate,” the rescuer told the Dodo. “I put her in my car and drove home so I could hold her and care for her.”
The dog, who was eventually named Nala, devoured her first meal before jumping into her bath, where it became – but it became apparent to Ventura that she had recently given birth.
Concerned that Nala may have left her puppies behind, Ventura drove the dog back to her pick-up location and the dog knew exactly what to do next.
“Her ears got really pointy and her nose start moving a lot,” explained the rescuer. “She was sniffing for miles, [then] all of a sudden she took [off] running.”
The woman documented the encounter in a TikTok clip that has gone viral with nearly one million likes, where Nala is seen leading the rescuer to the abandoned house.
As they approached the property, the rescuer could not believe her eyes as she spotted six of Nala’s puppies.
“I let go of the lead so she [could] reunite with her babies. I was in disbelief…. I was so grateful they were still alive,” said Ventura, who brought the whole family to an animal shelter.
Though three of the puppies have been welcomed into forever homes, Nala and her remaining puppies are currently being cared for at Save-A-Pet Houston.
Fellow TikTokers who came across Ventura’s clip, were clearly moved by the rescuer’s efforts to help the dog and her litter.
“Thank you for taking her back to find her babies, then for saving them all. Bless you.” penned one viewer in the comment section.
A second person wrote: “This literally made me cry! You are just wonderful to bring her back to her babies. The sweetest video ever, when she started sniffing to find them.”