What happens when there is an emergency and you just can’t make it back home to your pets?

For one woman, sadly, her dogs were going to find out. Their owner, who lives on her own, had been jogging when she was struck by a passing truck.

Placed in a medically-induced coma, she couldn’t tell anyone about her three dogs, Jeter, Pauly and Snowy were at her Texas home, waiting for her.

They had been alone for days before a concerned neighbor called the San Antonio Animal Care Services.

“A complaint was made to the shelter, indicating that there was a trio of dogs that were apparently being neglected,” said Lisa Norwood, a public relations manager at the City of San Antonio Animal Care Services. “One of our investigators went to the scene and found the dogs, and there were some indications that maybe they had been on their own for a few days.”

Neighbors told Norwood they had been trying to look after the dog since their owner had been injured.

“We were able to confirm that yes indeed the dogs’ mom was still in the hospital,” Norwood said.

She was in such a state that she was not going to be coming home any time soon.”

After finding out that no one could take the dogs, the woman’s sister relinquished custody to the shelter for her.

The terrified dogs were at the over-capacity shelter for more than a week, when staff posted on social media that they needed a foster or someone to adopt the dog, or they would tragically have to euthanize them. There was simply no room for the dogs.

“We never want to euthanize an animal; that is never the end goal,” Norwood said. She added that the shelter cares for more than 30,000 animals each year, with hundreds filling the kennels at a time.

“These guys were very scared,” Norwood said. “They’re their own little pack, and one of the members of the pack is gone all of a sudden.”

A disabled veteran, and dog-lover rushed to the rescue. Missy Brown saw the plea on Facebook.

“Why wouldn’t I help?” said Brown, who has two dogs of her own.

I have the opportunity to avoid a tragedy and alleviate some suffering when their owner does recover.”

Norwood said Brown was the only person to follow through on an offer to help the dogs.

“I can’t imagine going through something as traumatic as being hit by a car while doing something you do every day, and coming home and you no longer have your companions,” Brown said.

She said that along with her teenage daughter, she has fostered 28 animals so far. Brown began fostering after bringing home a shelter dog on hospice.

“It’s so rewarding,” she said. “It’s given me a purpose. It has added so much value to my life.”

Brown said the dogs have slowly started to open up and feel more at home.

“It’s been really heartwarming to see them warm up to me,” Brown said. “They’re sweet dogs. They clearly were loved.”

For now, the owner’s condition remains unknown, but Brown says she will care for the dogs before they go back to their real home.

“We desperately want their mom to get better,” Brown said. “I know they miss her.”

Watch below for a look at this incredible woman and these three lucky dogs.

Sources: Washington Post | KENS 5