Tessa Lane was recently driving down the highway when she saw what she thought was a pile of trash by the side of the road. But as she got closer, she realized something shocking — what she’d mistaken for garbage was actually a dog.

“It wasn’t until I was at a specific angle and I could see her one ear [pop] up that I realized it was a living and very scared puppy,” Lane told The Dodo.

As the dog cowered under the pouring rain, cars sped by. Lane knew she couldn’t leave an animal to suffer in those conditions.

Lane circled back to the dog as quickly as she could and pulled over near her. She knew it was risky to get out of her car and approach the pup, but she set her fears aside to rescue the animal.

“The possibility of someone hydroplaning and losing control or of Lucky darting into the road was truly frightening, and the potential consequences weighed heavily on my mind,” Lane said. “My thoughts were racing, but above all, my main focus was to get that sweet girl to safety.”

As Lane was trying to get the dog to safety, a kind stranger named Misty pulled over to help. Terrified, the pup hid under Lane’s car, so the women worked together to coax her out from underneath it.

Finally, the dog was safe, and Lane took her home. She decided to name her Lucky. At first, Lucky was terrified and kept her distance from Lane. But then, later that day, Lucky surprised Lane by eating out of her hand, a sign she was feeling a bit more comfortable.

A local dog groomer named Andrea, who’d seen Lane’s video, offered to give the pup a nice wash and haircut. After her pampering, Lucky seemed to feel even more relaxed.

Day by day, Lucky came out of her shell a little bit more.

“It’s clear that earning her trust will take time, but I’m confident she will eventually understand that she is safe with us and that we would never hurt her,” Lane said.

Now that Lane has firsthand experience rescuing a dog from a dire situation, she encourages everyone who finds an animal in distress to do their best to help.

“They don’t have the words to ask for assistance or the understanding of where to go for safety,” Lane said.

Thankfully for Lucky, though, the right person found her and saved her life.