Iris the dog was hidden deep inside bushes on the side of a busy street in Los Angeles when Hope For Paws' Eldad Hagar and Lisa Chiarelli discovered her and her pups.
The mom was injured and terrified, and the pair worried she might dart off into the street before they had a chance to coax her into their leash. But as video published Sept. 28 shows, Iris was fiercely protective of her three babies. Even as the strangers worked to clip into her hideaway, she refused to escape and stood guard over them.
In the end, to their relief, Hagar and Chiarelli rescued the pups as a family.
The dogs are now up for adoption through The Dog Rescuers, another Los Angeles-based nonprofit. The organization is hoping to place Iris and at least one of her babies together in a forever home.
"She truly is the best Mama I have ever had. I can't get much work done because I love watching her play with her babies," The Dog Rescuers wrote on its Facebook page Monday.
Thanks to Hagar, Chiarelli, and their Rescuers foster family, both mother and pups are thriving.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.