RIZE, Turkey

A Turkish man who saved a puppy from suffocation with a kiss of life said on Wednesday it was impossible not to act in that moment of life or death.

Shopkeeper Omer Yilmaz used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on a small stray pup when a piece of food got lodged in its throat causing it faint and lay motionless on the ground.

A video went viral on Tuesday of the incident that occurred in the northeastern Rize province on the Black Sea coast.

First applying a cardiac massage on the ailing puppy, Yilmaz told Anadolu Agency that he could feel its mother's gaze imploring him to bring her baby back to health.

"I know how it feels to lose your breath because I have experienced it [myself]. I could not resist helping that puppy," he said.

Yilmaz said that shopkeepers in the area often feed local stray dogs, adding: "I like taking care of them. Other shopkeepers also help them."

Writing by Faruk Zorlu

❮❯

Dog rescued by massage and artificial respiration in Turkey's Rize

RIZE, TURKEY - MARCH 27: Omer Yilmaz pets a dog rescued by him with massage and artificial respiration after he found it laying still on the ground at Kendirli town of Rize, Turkey on March 27, 2019. ( Fikret Delal - Anadolu Agency )