Many tales of dogs’ loyalty and sacrifice for their owners have made international news. And, more lately, another tale of that incredible love has moved hundreds of people to tears.

Jeco Macs, the owner of Moana, published the tale on his own Facebook page. He was watching TV when he heard Moana barking in the yard and saw the dog bite and pull a cobra down the stairs.

Macs quickly destroyed the snake, relieved that Moana’s actions had saved the whole family. He had no clue the dog had been bitten by a snake at first, and he brags about Moana’s accomplishment on social media.

In the accompanying image, Moana is shown smiling with a dead snake. This dog, however, died suddenly a few minutes later. It didn’t take long for the puppy’s happiness to change to grief. Moana was killed by the cobra before her owner’s family could take her to the vet.

This tale immediately received a lot of attention from the internet community. It presently has over 46,000 shares, 48,000 likes, and 18,000 comments showing admiration and compassion for the bravery of the tiny dog.

The dog died fighting the poisonous snake and preventing the cobra from entering the home, where it might attack any member of the family at any moment. The second snake was killed as a consequence of the fight, but the dog was unable to escape the snake’s potent poison, which was seeping deep into the dog’s body.

The image of the owner documenting the last moments of his tiny dog’s life, when he merrily wags his tail before shutting his eyes and dying forever, is devastating.

Moana, the heroic little dog, is a cross between a Shi Tzu and a Chihuahua, and she was only a year old when she sacrificed herself to rescue her owner.

Despite the fact that they are not of the same species and cannot speak in one other’s language, their love is the same as that of a family. People’s devotion for this faithful animal touches their hearts, allowing them to understand that those who care for them are their family.