Hero dog leads rescuers to suffering puppies

Hero stands in front of Mona and her puppies, whom he rescued from the frigid woods by finding help from walkers in the park. Hero stands in front of Mona and her puppies, whom he rescued from the frigid woods by finding help from walkers in the park. Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Hero dog leads rescuers to suffering puppies 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

A stray Labrador had been evading Dallas dogcatchers in a city park for weeks, until he urgently needed their help.

Two canine experts told Fox and Friends Weekend how the dog emerged from the frigid woods to get their attention and save a litter of newborn puppies and their mom from the cold. It started with incessant barking with an urgent tone.

Dog behaviorist John Miller and animal rescuer Marina Tarashevska were walking when the canine came calling.

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"Every time we got closer, he would go away and bark at us, saying keep coming," Miller told Fox. "Keep coming my way."

The followed the dog into the woods until they heard the faint calls of puppies, and peered inside a burnt-out tree to find 10 baby dogs and their mother, nearly frozen to death.

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"He led s there," said Miller. "He took us to the puppies. That is exactly what he was trying to do."

"It really is a miracle," Tarashevska said.

The heroic dog has aptly been named Hero. It's unclear if he's the puppies' father, but nonetheless he's been taken out of the cold and into the shelter as a member of the family.

Tarashevska, who works with the dog rescue group Dallas Dogrr, told Fox that the puppies would be placed in homes once weaned from their mother. But for now, they're under the care of Dogrr, which is searching for open homes.

"Taking in 10 puppies and two adult dogs is a lot for a small rescue and we desperately need foster families to take in the pups once they are old enough," said Lindsay Butler with Dogrr by email. "We will also be covering all the medical bills of this family so donations are needed too."

To adopt a dog, Butler said you can contact the group through their Facebook page.