A miniature poodle was hit by a stray bullet in a New Mexico home Wednesday, saving the lives of three small children, KRQE reported.

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"My dog instinctively felt something in him and he went right there and he took the bullet," Erika Montoya told the television station.

Montoya said she was at home with her daughters and two dogs when she heard a window shatter in the living room, KRQE reported.

"I came in here and the (girls) were yelling and then I saw blood," Montoya told the television station.

The poodle, named Jet, stood up on the couch between her daughters, and that is when the animal was shot, Montoya said.

"He took the bullet and it didn't ricochet inside," Montoya told KRQE.

Montoya called 911 and first responders arrived within minutes, the television station reported.

Veterinarians said because of the risks involved, they were unable to remove the .45-caliber bullet, KRQE reported.

it is too risky to move the .45 caliber bullet, so now Jet has to live with it, Montoya told the television station.

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