Animal lovers have been deeply moved by the story of a mother dog her who "did her best" to protect her puppy while they were both lost on the streets.

The Detroit Dog Rescue shared the mother and her pup's story on its Facebook page on September 4, and it has seen a huge outpouring of love.

In a photograph, the two dogs, who appear to be bully breeds, are seen lying curled up together on the sidewalk, now safely secured and in the care of the shelter.

Thin and sick, the rescue said they were "found together like this."

Noting that they had managed to stay "together despite so many odds," a spokesperson wrote: "Mom did her best to protect them both and now it's our job to help them."

The shelter, Detroit's first no-kill, non-profit rescue, revealed both mother and pup require a lot of medical care, with the puppy alone suffering from ringworm and "several other issues."

They requested help from donors and asked for suggestions on what to call the as-yet-unnamed little family.

Facebook users responded in droves, with Detroit Dog Rescue's post garnering over 1,400 likes and hundreds of shares and comments.

One emotional commenter wrote: "Poor baby, what are people thinking? It's hard for me to understand people anymore. Prayers for these babies."

"Thank you for saving these precious pups," another said, while one praised the shelter: "Thank you for everything you do. Someone has to help those who can not help themselves."

Dozens of others offered name suggestions for the mother and son, with Sweet Potato, Polly, Paulie, Bonnie and Clyde, and Betty and Boop just some of the potential names in the mix.

While the pooches' story broke hearts, their situation is, sadly, far from unique.

Across the United States, approximately 6.3 million animals enter shelters each year, including 3.1 million dogs. These numbers have declined significantly since 2011, when around 7.2 million animals entered shelters, including 3.9 million dogs.

Detroit Dog Rescue is a no-kill shelter, meaning no healthy animal will be euthanized. Kill shelters do still exist in the United States, with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimating around 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized each year.

This number includes 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats.

Newsweek has contacted Detroit Dog Rescue for comment on this story.

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