Sweet dog breaks out of kennel in act of love

A dog's maternal instinct kicked in when she heard puppies crying Friday.

Maggie was staying at Barkers Pet Motel and Grooming in St. Albert, Canada for a week while her owners were away.

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Sandy Aldred owns the pet motel and told CBC Monday that in addition to boarding pets, her business will often keep dogs for AARCS and Second Chance Animal Rescue Society when the rescues are low on fosters.

Because of that, 9-week-old puppies Hannah and Kari were also boarded at the motel, although the pair were in their own kennel.

Aldred closed up shop Friday night and went out to dinner, checking on the kennel through a live feed on her phone.

That was when she saw Maggie escape her kennel.

The brown Australian Shepard mix was in the hallway outside the pen that held the two puppies.

Maggie paced back and forth toward the kennel, getting as close as possible.

"We've never really seen it before, where a dog sneaks out to some puppies and is so excited to see them," Sandy Aldred's son, Alex Aldred, told ABC News.

Sandy Aldred said Maggie stayed there until she came back to check on her.

"She came to me and she was really happy, and then she took me back to their room, as if to say, 'I really need to meet these puppies.'"

Sandy Aldred let Maggie in to Hannah and Kari's kennel and watched them get acquainted, but the meeting happened smoothly.

"They were just all so happy to be together," Sandy Aldred said. "She was nuzzling them really gently and nudging them, and then she laid down and let them cuddle with her. The puppies needed her and she needed them. It was pretty perfect."

The reasoning may have to do with the fact that Maggie recently had a litter of her own that was adopted.

The next day, Maggie's owners came to pick her up and were happy to hear about her motherly nature.

Puppies Hannah and Kari are up for adoption. Sandy Aldred thinks they will find homes soon.