【Eng Sub】

Amid the desperation surrounding avalanche-struck Hotel Rigopiano in central Italy,Eng Sub there is hope.

Three Abruzzo sheepdog puppies were pulled out of the tonnes of snow and rubble Monday, encouraging rescuers searching for 22 people still missing, five days on from the disaster.

SEE ALSO: Happy pups take owner for a joyous snowboarding ride in a winter wonderland

The trio of puppies were found in the hotel's boiler room, with jubilant emergency crews carrying the pups in their arms.

One firefighter buried his face in the fluffy white fur of the dogs to give it a kiss.

"They just started barking very softly," said Sonia Marini, a member of the Forestry Corps.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

"In fact, it was hard to find them right away because they were hidden. Then we heard this very tiny bark and we saw them from a little hole the firefighters had opened in the wall. Then we expanded the hole and we pulled them out."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The pups were born to the hotel's resident sheepdogs, Nuvola and Lupo, who had managed to find their own way out following the avalanche last Wednesday.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While the sight of the puppies have lifted rescuers' spirits, firefighter spokesperson Luca Cari stressed these puppies were found in an isolated part of the hotel and the discovery isn't necessarily a positive sign for other rescues.

"We're happy to have saved them, and these are important moments in a dramatic situation," he said. "But I don't think there's much correlation with finding other people."

The Associated Presscontributed reporting.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Lazy sea lion decides this car roof is a great place for a nap

---

Topics Animals

• Social Good
• Science
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Games
• Deals
• Life

• Right to Burn
• Beware Snapchatters: Apple's iOS 11 makes it much, much easier to record snaps
• Nintendo's theme park is coming along nicely
• Google is finally fixing an annoying Pixel bug that caused the phone to freeze
• The Lunatic Face of Fiction
• More women than ever lead Fortune 500 companies this year — but it's still not that many
• Snow is hard to come by in Australia, so this guy created his own
• Walmart tests a giant self
• The Carpetbaggers of Tech
• We're McLosing it over this very chill McDonald's dessert invention

• Behold: You can now see selfie kid's Justin Timberlake selfies
• Apple's new iPhone event invite has a secret augmented reality message
• Lyft, Uber to pay legal fees of drivers sued under Texas abortion law
• Urban Dictionary wipes offensive, racist definitions for 'aboriginal'
• Choose your 'The Matrix Resurrections' teaser trailer: Red, or blue?
• Impossible chicken nuggets review: Promising but the batter needs work
• 7 Google Chrome extensions to up your Netflix and chill game
• These tiny baby octopuses hatching will brighten your miserable existence
• 'Shang
• Yes, you can stick your AirPods to your MacBook screen, if you absolutely must

• Unions in Space
• Tidal's latest '4:44' ads have birthed hilarious theories about Jay
• These students are making beautiful popsicles with a disgusting ingredient for a good cause
• Beware Snapchatters: Apple's iOS 11 makes it much, much easier to record snaps
• Right to Burn
• 'The Mummy' gets wrapped in savage reviews and buried alive
• Chance the Rapper showed up to NPR offices and caused a stampede
• Here's what we know about alleged NSA leaker Reality Leigh Winner
• Is Anyone Relating?
• Kudos to this dude who wore the same shirt in every school photo for 7 years

• Comrades at Arms
• Interactive map shows the global refugee crisis like you've never seen it before
• Cardboard augmented reality goggles? Please, no. We've done this dance before.
• Apple still loves you, pro users, but that love will cost you
• The Norwegians Who Mistook Their Bus Seats for Muslims
• Val Kilmer is going to thirsty tweet about 'Top Gun' until he's in the sequel
• People really 'love' Facebook's Messenger reactions
• Apple still loves you, pro users, but that love will cost you
• An Uneven Disaster
• iOS 11 will help you conserve precious iPhone storage