This is the heartwarming moment a mother dog is reunited with her puppies.
The touching video was shared by Californian animal shelter The Marin Humane Society.
They explain that the frightened mother, thought to be a chihuahua cross, had been surrendered to the shelter along with another dog when they realized on closer inspection she’d recently had puppies.
Unsure: The mom crouches in the corner of a small room as a worker at the shelter presents one of the puppies to her
My children! At first she just stares across but as a second is brought forth she trots forward and sniffs both of the tiny dogs to ascertain that they are hers, her tail wagging excitedly
‘After some detective work and a lot of convincing,’ they write on the YouTube footage, ‘our team was able to get the person who surrendered the dogs to also surrender the puppies, as they still needed their momma and were not in a safe situation.’
The mom crouches in the corner of a small room as a worker at the shelter presents one of the puppies to her.
At first she just stares across, ears twitching, but as a second is brought forth she trots forward, perhaps clocking what is actually happening.
She sniffs both of the tiny dogs to ascertain that they are hers, her tail wagging excitedly.
Indeed she is so keen to see her brood she runs into the dog carrier to see the others, causing the woman to smile.
One by one the puppies are placed on the floor and the reunited family run around each other happily, even treading on one another in their exuberance.
Together again: One by one the puppies are placed on the floor and the reunited family run around each other happily, even treading on one another in their exuberance
Overjoyed: ‘Do you feel better now?’ the worker asks as the dogs get to know each other again
This doesn’t stop the mom from crawling into the worker’s lap for a stroke though.
‘Do you feel better now?’ the lady asks.
The hungry pups eagerly try and feed from their mother and cram around her, although at one point she almost kicks them away and runs to the worker, perhaps unused to motherhood.
But cuddled up to the woman she contentedly lets her babies feed as the video ends.
Founded in 1907, The Marin Humane Society is a progressive, award-winning animal shelter, offering refuge and rehabilitation to nearly 8,000 animals each year through myriad community services, including adoptions, foster care, behavior and training, humane education, lost-and-found pet services, low-cost clinics, and more.
Dinner time! The hungry pups eagerly try and feed from their mother and cram around her, although at one point she almost kicks them away and runs to the worker, perhaps unused to motherhood
Affectionate: But cuddled up to the woman she contentedly lets her babies feed as the video ends