This is the heartwarming moment an injured mother dog and seven puppies were rescued after being trapped under an abandoned house.

Locals called the animal rescue centre after noticing a wounded female dog that kept entering the small hole of a house in Phoenix, Arizona on October 28.

Rescuers from the Arizona Humane Society arrived and saw an injured female dog that appeared to have just given birth as suggested by its breasts.

One of the responding rescuers, Theresa Scheckel, suspected there were puppies and decided to dig a hole on the foundation to investigate why the weary dog kept sliding under the dwelling.

She started shovelling out the dirt with the help of her partner Dan McGrath who went inside when the hole was big enough.

He was shocked after finding the injured dog nursing seven puppies at the bottom of the hollow portion of the building.

Dan pulled the puppies and used a gurney to hand them one by one to his partner waiting outside.

After two hours of the rescue operation, they were able to pull the entire family out of the hole.

The puppies, five males and two females, were estimated to be younger than two-weeks-old as their eyes had still not opened. Their mother is a one-year-old mixed breed dog.

The rescuers immediately gave first aid treatment to the mother dog with puncture wounds on her torso which they believe she acquired from continually entering the narrow space.

The organisation said in a statement: "Her demeanour is just as sweet with people as it is with her puppies and she is an excellent, attentive mother."

The dog family is now being taken care of at the centre's animal clinic for pregnant and nursing mothers before they are turned over to a shelter when they are old enough to eat on their own and prepared for adoption.

The centre houses more than 4,300 homeless pets rescued from all over the state each year.