While working on a remote farm in Turkey earlier this week, veterinarian Soner Büyümez heard a faint, desperate cry in the distance. It wasn’t just background noise — it was a call for help that couldn’t be ignored.
“I ran toward the sound immediately,” Büyümez told The Dodo. “There had been a landslide, and I found a dog buried in the earth, with only her head visible above the soil.”
The dog was barely clinging to freedom, trapped beneath the debris. But as Büyümez would soon discover, she wasn’t the only one in danger.
“It was heartbreaking to see her like that,” he said.
Wasting no time, Büyümez grabbed a shovel and began digging. As he worked to free the distressed mother, another faint sound reached his ears — tiny whimpers, muffled by dirt.
“I realized there were puppies buried beneath her,” he said.
Once the mother was safely freed, Büyümez quickly returned to digging — this time to rescue her hidden litter. One by one, he unearthed seven tiny puppies who had been trapped underground after their den collapsed in the landslide.
Thanks to his quick response, the mother and all of her babies were saved.
It appeared the mother dog was a stray who had been raising her puppies alone in a makeshift burrow. But now, thanks to Büyümez’s compassion and action, she and her little ones are safe — and no longer alone.
“They’re all in very good condition,” he said. “The mother and her puppies are protected, and I’ll care for them as my own.”
