Houston, Texas – With her last ounce of strength, a stray dog mama shields her puppy from the freezing cold by wrapping her emaciated body around the tiny pup.

Animal‑rights activist Zuly Ventura Vasquez couldn’t bear the thought that, during the icy weather that hit Texas at the beginning of the year, many dogs didn’t even have a roof over their heads.

Together with other volunteers, she set out to rescue as many stray dogs as possible from the freezing cold.

Along the way, she also came across Leia and her puppy.

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“She was wrapped around her puppy and was extremely skinny,” recalls Tory Shulman, who later took the dog in, speaking to The Dodo.

Rescuer Zuly knew that the mother dog and her puppy had no chance of surviving in that cold, so she alerted Houston K‑911 Rescue, which agreed to take the two animals.

There, the furry companions were examined, treated for heartworms, and then sent on to Colorado, where another facility was waiting for them.

Up Pup and Away were deeply moved by the duo’s story and wanted to help find them a loving home.

Thanks to the organization, it didn’t take long before both puppy Luke and mother Leia were picked up.

The female dog moved in with Tory Shulman, who fell for her instantly after seeing a photo.

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"As I saw the picture, I knew I would be fostering Leia," Shulman said.

"She was shy but incredibly sweet."

After a longer adjustment period, Leia fully embraced life with Tory and blossomed more and more.

"It's almost like she never got any rest in the wild," she said.

Tory hopes Leia will soon meet her perfect adoptive family.

"She is a wonderful dog who will be so lovable," Shulman added. "She will forever be a protective mama who was saved and will never be cold again."