A hero dog saved four patients from an inferno at a Russian hospice after running into the building to raise the alarm.
The pregnant dog, named Matilda, is recovering from severe burns after she passed out due to carbon monoxide fumes during the fire in Russia’s Leningrad region.
All four residents of the private hospice were safely pulled from the blaze after the fire service was called.
But mongrel Matilda was only saved later by volunteers Elena Kalinina and Alexander Tsinkevich and she suffered grievous injuries.
The pregnant dog ‘cried and trembled in pain, but heroically endured everything’, a report said.
Now animal campaigners at Vasilek shelter in St Petersburg are fighting so save her after the savage burns.
‘Matilda’s face, neck and abdomen were severely burned,’ said the shelter in a statement.
‘She was checked by a fertility specialist who looked at her for a very long time and carefully studied the puppies.’They are all alive and developing well.
‘Now it is impossible to understand the number of babies she is carrying, since she is a big dog.’
But Matilda – known as Motya – will not be able to feed her puppies since her nipples are badly burned.
After the fire, the hospice owner is not able to take care of the dog due to injury, say reports.
