People Spot Dog In Nativity Scene Manger -- Then Realize She's Not Alone

In Palenque, Mexico, a tiny tent with a Nativity scene was set up in the town’s main square. It has the usual assortment of holiday figurines posed in tranquil silence.

However, they have recently been joined by an unexpected guest. A loving stray dog apparently observed the Nativity scene earlier this week — and decided to claim the manger within it as her own.

However, it turned out that she was not alone.

Eric Guzmán, a local journalist, was among the first to notice the dog, curled up inside the straw-lined display. But, like the fabled figures shown in the Nativity scene, she hadn’t picked the location to simply relax.

Guzmán discovered the dog had recently given birth to a brood of tiny puppies upon closer observation. She seemed to have chosen the manger as a safe place to have her infants since she had no other choices.

“I was awestruck, and at the same time joyful seeing that she had her puppies in a safe place where they won’t get wet or cold,” Guzmán told The Dodo. “It’s been cold lately in Palenque, but it’s usually hot throughout the year.”

The apparent meaning of the dogs’ presence there has not gone unnoticed by the community. Guzmán began spreading the news about the dog and her puppies in the manger, and since then, people from Palenque have made the trek to view them for themselves, some bringing food and drink for the small family.

Even local officials have stepped in, determining that the mother dog and her babies can stay. Meanwhile, aside from allusions to holiness, animal advocates from Dejando Huellitas S.O.S. Palenque have stepped in to ensure that the canines are cared for now and in the future.

They’ve already started looking for homes for the puppies once the holidays are over. The birth of puppies inside the Nativity scene manger isn’t quite a miracle for Guzmán, but he thinks it will leave a lasting legacy.

“Hopefully, we as citizens will become more aware when it comes to dogs, to adopt strays [rather than buy dogs],” Guzmán said. “We should love dogs, no matter where they come from.”