Greenville, South Carolina – There's no bond quite like a dog and its puppy. Dog mom Annie and her puppy Bernard are inseparable, even though they're not related!

Annie the dog lived on the streets of Greenville, South Carolina, for years. When the Labor of Love Transport Rescue finally saved her, it was clear she had just become a mother.

But despite an intensive search, the animal rescuers couldn’t locate a single newborn. In the end, the dog had to come along without her puppies.

Bernard’s story was the opposite: the puppy had lost his mother in a car accident when he and his siblings were placed with the same foster family as Annie.

Dogs This dog's daycare photos are hysterically derpy, and 'tis glorious to behold

There, the furry companions quickly melted the hearts of their caregivers. Annie treated the little dogs like her own offspring. But it was Bernard who especially won her over.

"Somehow, these two found each other, and for a little while, they each have something the other lost," the shelter wrote on Facebook in mid‑August.

"Sometimes a photo really touches you. This is one of those," they continued. Annie has become so beloved by her foster family that they won't let her go. The furry friend has been adopted forever.

“She has the most loving, resilient personality and is genuinely always happy,” said her owner, Maddie Trelinski, in an interview with The Dodo.

For months, Trelinski and her helpers repeatedly tried to pull the four‑legged friend off the streets. At first, Annie was even pregnant, and one attempt after another failed.

This difficult period is now behind us. Unfortunately, no one still knows what happened to Annie's puppies.