Tissue (Box) Alert! Watch a Shelter Mama Dog Reunite with Her Puppies

“Yesterday, two frightened dogs were surrendered to us. Upon examining the female, we learned she recently had puppies,” wrote the Marin Humane Society (MHS) on its Facebook page Monday.

“After some detective work and a lot of convincing, our team was able to get the person who surrendered the dogs to also surrender the puppies, as they still needed their momma and were not in a safe situation.”

Cora, the mama dog, had been shy and withdrawn ever since she was dumped at the shelter in Northern California. But as soon as she was reunited with her four puppies, Cora’s disposition completely changed. “Tears of joy all around at this happy reunion,” wrote MHS.

A video taken by shelter staff and posted on Facebook shows Cora anxiously sitting in a corner as an employee brings in a carrier filled with her puppies. After the employee lifts up one of the puppies for its mom to see, Cora runs toward it, her tail wagging hard. She literally jumps with joy as she is reunited with each of her pups (and even checks inside the carrier to make sure they’re all accounted for). Cora then hops into the employee’s lap, as if to say, “Thank you.”

The video has gone viral, with more than 3.4 million views on Facebook as of Thursday morning.

“Eat your heart out Kim Kardashian – there’s nothing like the power of heartwarming stories about animals!” MHS wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday.

Cora’s puppies have been named after “Downton Abbey” characters: the males are Carson, Moseley and Branson, and the female is Edith.

“They’ve re-bonded very quickly,” Lisa Bloch, director of marketing and communications for MHS, told SFGate.”Mom and babies are doing great.”

The family is now in a foster home. As soon as they’re old enough, the puppies and their mother will be available for adoption. Wouldn’t it be great if the whole family could be adopted together?

Photo via Facebook