Three men fishing on a Mississippi lake were in the right place at the right time to save the lives of dozens of dogs.

The 38 hounds had been part of a fox hunt, but had gotten distracted and followed a deer into Grenada Lake in the north of the state earlier this month, according to media reports.

Bob Gist happened to be fishing on the lake with two others when they spotted the animals. It was clear that the dogs were not going to catch the deer, and the canines seemed lost and overwhelmed in the water.

There were dogs everywhere, Gist told The Associated Press . They were kind of swimming in circles and didnt know which direction to go.

The dogs were at least 1 mile offshore and had been treading water for 45 minutes or more, WMC-TV reported . The animals panicked owners watched from the shore as Gist, his friend Brad Carlisle and fishing guide Jordan Chrestman pulled dogs from the water and loaded them into their boat.