For a moment, I simply stared.
They were tiny—so small that their bodies barely seemed real. Their eyes were still closed, their pink bellies rising and falling beneath the thin fabric.
One of them gave a weak little squeak.
The mother dog immediately turned toward the sound.
That was when I understood everything.
She was not aggressive.
She was terrified.
She had been tied so tightly that she could barely reach her own babies.
Every person walking toward the supermarket entrance had looked like a possible threat, and with nowhere to run, barking was the only weapon she had left.
I slowly took out my phone and called a local animal rescue.
While I waited, I stayed several meters away and asked people not to approach her.
About fifteen minutes later, a rescue volunteer named Claire arrived with a veterinarian.
They did not rush toward the dog.
Claire sat down on the pavement, placed some food in front of her, and waited.
