Earlier this week, while working on a remote farm in Turkey, veterinarian Soner Büyümez heard a sound in the distance that he couldn’t ignore. It was a desperate sound, like a cry for help.

“I immediately ran to the spot,” Büyümez told The Dodo. “There had been a landslide. I saw a dog was trapped in the ground. Only her head remained [above the soil].”

The dog was in distress. But, as Büyümez would soon come to learn, she wasn’t concerned for her life alone.

“When I first saw her, it was very upsetting,” Büyümez said.

He knew he had to act.

Quickly fetching a shovel, Büyümez began to dig.

As Büyümez moved the dirt trapping the dog, another sound struck his ears. The sound was faint but unmistakable.

“I heard the cry of puppies,” Büyümez said. “They were under the ground.”

When the first dog was safely removed, Büyümez began to dig once more in order to save her babies.

All told, Büyümez saved seven puppies who’d been buried alive after their underground burrow caved in — much to the relief of their worried mother.

Thanks to Büyümez’s quick thinking, the furry family was now safe and sound.

Büyümez believes the mother dog was a stray, surviving on her own in that desperate spot. But now, she and her babies will be alone no longer.

“Their general condition is very good. The mother and her puppies protected,” Büyümez said. “I will care for them as my own.”