Mother Dog Saves Her Litter Of Nine Puppies By Digging Hole To Hide Them From Forest Fire

A mother dog saved her litter of nine puppies from being burned alive in a forest fire in Chile by digging a hole and hiding them in it while the fire raged around them.

The devoted mother, nicknamed Negrita (“Blacky”), saved the lives of her nine 1-week-old puppies during huge fires that raged and devastated an extensive area near the city of Valparaiso by digging a hole beneath a metal container.

According to Telemundo 47, Negrita was unable to move her puppies away from danger in time, so she found a secure spot under a metal container where she dug a hole and hid her puppies.

Footage posted online shows the massive blaze and firefighters struggling to contain it.

As the firefighters battled to stop the spread of the fire, some residents leaving the area reported they had seen Negrita and her puppies. They told the firefighters they saw the mother dog taking her puppies away from the blaze and burying them under a metal container.

They said they saw the dog digging frantically and later transferring her puppies into the hole.

After the fire had abated, rescuers entered the area in search of the dog and her puppies.

It took rescuers and volunteers about an hour to find the puppies and retrieve them from the hole in which their mother hid them.

Telemundo 47 reports that Negrita dug rather deep to hide her puppies. One of the rescuers confirmed that the puppies and their mother were “alive and healthy.” Footage posted online shows volunteers lifting the pups from the hole dug underneath a metal container.

Locals were amazed to see the devotion of the mother dog to her puppies. Sympathizers donated money while many came forward offering to adopt the family.

A woman reportedly donated a kennel for the puppies. The puppies and their mother are now being cared for by volunteers, including veterinary professionals.

The Daily Mail reports that at least one person was killed and thousands evacuated as fire driven by strong winds spread. Hundreds of hectares of land were burned in the fire in which at least 19 firefighters were injured.

Meanwhile, local officials said they would bring charges against the owner of an illegal site where the fire was believed to have started on Friday.

However, forest fires are common in the country when it is hot and dry. A conflagration last year killed at least 13 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

[Images: YouTube/Telemundo]