When Simone Belser, cofounder of Protect Animals Worldwide, got a call about an abandoned dog thrown away like trash, she knew she had to help. She went out to where the dog had been seen, opened up the dumpster … and came face-to-face with a sweet mama pittie and her pile of newborn babies.

“It was a really heartbreaking scene that someone could just throw this family away,” Belser said in a video for The Dodo.

Belser was struck by just how tiny the babies were. They hadn’t even opened their eyes yet. She knew she needed to get the family to safety as fast as humanly possible.

“We knew that if we didn’t take them right then and there, the babies wouldn’t survive the night,” Belser said.

The family was taken straight to Protect Animals Worldwide’s emergency hospital so they could be assessed and cared for. The babies were incredibly cold and barely moving, and there was some fear that they might not make it.

“We had to really revive them and stabilize them,” Belser said.

The pups’ mama, whom the rescue named Regina, knew her puppies needed her and was so attentive and caring. She just wanted to be there for them as much as she possibly could, and her love and care were a huge reason they ended up pulling through.

“She was working with everything she had,” Belser said. “It wasn’t her fault she was thrown away in the trash.”

Based on how strongly the puppies and Regina smelled of trash, their rescuers assumed they’d been in the dumpster for quite some time. The poor puppies had possibly spent their entire lives up to that point living in a dumpster, but luckily they never had to go back.

Weeks passed, and the puppies continued to thrive. Pretty soon, all five puppies had found their forever homes, but unfortunately Mama Regina is still waiting.

Regina would do best in a home with a family who understands her needs and are willing to let her open up to them over time. She’s currently living in Brazil, but the rescue is open to adopting her out to someone who lives in the U.S.