Stray dog adopts abandoned newborn baby, saves child’s life

A stray dog has apparently saved an abandoned newborn baby’s life by carrying the child to her own litter of puppies and keeping her warm with their bodies throughout a cold winter night.

According to Newsweek, the baby which has subsequently been named Akanksha was found snuggled up with her adopted family in the Saristal village of Lormi, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, earlier this week. Villagers discovered the baby after hearing her cries.

The child was apparently found naked and with her umbilical cord still attached.

They quote a local saying that the dogs’ body heat potentially saved the child’s life.

“It’s possibly the warmth from puppies and their mother itself who had kept this newborn alive. Usually, the temperature dips at night and it’s already December. I must say, it’s her sheer luck.”

Animal trainer Shelby Semel told Romper that dogs “bond tightly with their human pack.” As a result, some dogs might “regard a baby as the latest addition to its own personal animal den.”

The Mirror reports that the child was handed over to the police, who in turn left her in the care of NGO the Child Line Project, after she was examined by doctors in a local hospital.

An investigation is underway to find the child’s parents.

Senior IPS officer of Chhattisgarh Police, Special DG RK Vij expressed his shock.