According to The Dodo, a hiker named Veronica was exploring the Angeles National Forest with her dog when she noticed something unusual: Three large, black animals were scurrying around in the bushes.

After getting a closer look, Veronica realized it was three large, black dogs that looked fairly malnourished.

She tried wrangling the large dogs into her car to get them help, but they wouldn’t have it. They didn’t want anything to do with people, so Veronica left them some food and decided to return the next day better prepared to help them.

Speaking with The Dodo, Veronica explained that she called animal control, but they said the terrain wasn’t safe and they wouldn’t get the dogs. They even told her to stop calling them! Unsure what else to do, Veronica began visiting the dogs every single day in hopes of winning their trust.

She recognized how fearful they were and how desperately they needed help. Slowly but surely, she began to win their trust. Her dad named the dogs Grace, Steve and George. After weeks of feeding them and spending hours together, Veronica realized she couldn’t do it on her own. She’d need to call in backup.

Thankfully, several rescues stepped up to help. With the help of the rescuers, all three dogs were easily trapped and transported down the mountain.

The Deity Animal Rescue shared on Instagram that after 134 days of rehabilitation, Grace and George were ready to find their forever homes. Little Steve needed a tad more time to decompress, but he was doing well too.