Earlier this week, Soner Büyümez, a veterinarian working on a remote farm in Turkey, was drawn to a distant and distressing sound—a clear call for aid.

“As soon as I heard it, I rushed to the scene,” Büyümez told The Dodo. There, he discovered a landslide had occurred, trapping a dog beneath the earth with only her head visible above the soil.

The dog was in evident pain, and Büyümez quickly realized her worries extended beyond her current predicament.

“It was a heartbreaking sight when I first saw her,” he recalled.

Determined to help, Büyümez grabbed a shovel and urgently began to dig. As he cleared the earth around the distressed dog, he detected a faint yet distinct sound.

“I heard puppies crying,” Büyümez said. “They were buried underneath.”

His mission shifted to rescuing not just the mother but also her pups. After freeing the mother, Büyümez continued digging and managed to save seven puppies that had been buried alive when their underground tunnel collapsed.

Thanks to Büyümez’s swift actions, the dog and her puppies were brought to safety.

Büyümez speculated that the mother was a stray forced to survive on her own in challenging conditions. But their uncertain future had been transformed.

“Their overall condition is excellent,” Büyümez reassured. “The mother and her puppies are safe. I’ll care for them as if they were my own.”