Stray Dog in Canada Found Cuddling Orphaned Kittens Stuck in the Snow to Keep Them Warm

An animal shelter in Canada is looking for the owner of a hero dog who was found protecting orphaned kittens last weekend.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Pet and Wildlife Rescue in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, shared a sweet photo of the stray dog and the five kittens she kept warm by cuddling up next to them in the snow.

“Our stray sweetheart is keeping her ‘babies’ safe at the shelter tonight!” the shelter captioned the post.

According to The Dodo, the stray canine was found on a cold night in Ontario last weekend, wrapped around the orphaned kittens to keep them sheltered form the freezing temperatures. A passerby saw the animals, and brought the dog and the five kittens into the shelter.

“It’s truly heartwarming!” a shelter spokesperson told The Dodo, explaining that the dog may have saved the kittens’ lives. “It had been a very cold night so these kittens would have had a very hard time surviving.”

Once at the shelter, the sweet bond between the kittens and the dog stayed intact. As the baby felines receive treatment for flea and worm infestations, their protector makes regular visits to check in, according to The Dodo.

Pet and Wildlife Rescue is attempting to find the owners of the dog and the kittens, and trying to figure out whether they came from the same owner. The shelter will eventually put them up for adoption if no one comes forward.

WPIX reports that the shelter has decided to name the stray dog Serenity in honor of her selfless act.

“Our staff sees many difficult situations on a daily basis and stories like this one make every heartache worth it,” the spokesperson added to The Dodo.