Soner Büyümez, a veterinarian working on a farm in central Türkiye, warmed hearts when a video showed him frantically removing a pile of soil a dog and her puppies were buried under went viral on social media. "Come here, kuzum," he is seen saying in the video, as Büyümez picks a scared puppy covered with dirt, a local phrase of affection which means "my lamb" originally.

The mother and her puppies are now safe and will be the new residents of the apple orchard they were found nearby.

A weak cry of the dog and the resolve of Büyümez and a co-worker ensured their survival. Mahmut Aşir, a guard at the apple orchard in the Develi district of the central province of Kayseri, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he heard a dog barking while checking the orchard on Monday. He discovered the dogs were buried when a makeshift home they made for themselves on the slight slope in the empty land near the orchard. Büyümez was working in another part of the orchard when Aşir shouted and called him for help. The two managed to pull the mother by grabbing her legs but found there were more buried underneath. They raced against time with nothing but their hands to dig out the puppies. One of the puppies died while others survived.

The duo is now feeding the canine family in the orchard and hopes someone will give them a home. The orchard is already home to some 45 puppies.

Büyümez told İhlas News Agency (İHA) that they did not know there were puppies buried when they heard the dog "wailing." In about two hours, they saved all of them. "They all are now fine and healthy. We are caring for them daily," he said.