Leonie Allan said she was walking her pointer, Rex, Easter Sunday when they came across the carcass of the mother kangaroo, which was killed by a car near Bells Beach, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reported Monday.

"Later, I was working out the front and he started pointing," Allan said. "I was worried he'd found a snake and called him back, but when he returned he dropped the joey at my feet."

Allan said Rex, a 10-year-old dog, was careful not to injure or upset the 4 1/2-month-old kangaroo.

"The joey was snuggling up to him, jumping up to him and Rex was sniffing and licking him -- it was quite cute," she said.

Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary Director Tehree Gordon praised Rex for his protective behavior toward the joey, named Rex Jr. in honor of his savior.

"It's a lesson that dogs can be raised to be familiar and compatible with wildlife, you just have to teach them right from wrong," she said.

Gordon said Rex Jr. will be released into the wild when he is about 18 months old.