Three lucky puppies are in good hands after an RCMP officer rescued them from the middle of a road in East Preston, N.S.

Police say the officer was patrolling the Lake Eagle Drive area before 11 p.m. Tuesday when he spotted what he thought was a rock in the middle of the road. Upon further inspection, he realized it was three black puppies huddled together, trying to keep warm.

With temperatures of -11, with a wind chill of -17, the pups were lucky to have been discovered.

"The puppies were shivering and dirty as they appeared to be out in the elements for a while," said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Scott MacRae.

They were frightened of the officer at first, but after some playful coaxing, they allowed the officer to pick them up.

“He managed to pick up the puppies, put them in the back of the police car, and they were probably much welcoming the warmth,” said MacRae.

The small dogs were taken to the Cole Harbour RCMP detachment, where they were welcomed with open arms and water. They were then brought to the Integrated Emergency Services Centre - a dispatch centre for Halifax Regional Police and Halifax District RCMP - where they were treated to food, treats, toys and a warm bath.

“When we found out they were coming, a couple of us were getting ready to go on our lunch, so we actually went to Superstore and picked up some food and some toys and some blankets,” said dispatcher Sasha Colley.

In honour of their RCMP connection, the pups were bestowed with police-related names - Radar, Cuffs, and Siren.

Cuffs has a broken tail and her sister Siren has a heart murmur, while their brother Radar has frostbite on his back toes.

The puppies were brought to the Litters N’ Critters animal shelter in Tantallon Wednesday morning.

“They’re going to Pugwash tomorrow morning,” says Shelly Cunningham, president of Litters N’ Critters. “They’re staying at my place tonight and tomorrow morning I’m going to take them up.”

The puppies will go to a foster home, where they will be quarantined while they recover from their injuries, lice, and lesions - minor issues compare to what could have happened.

“If they weren’t found, they’d probably be dead. They would be dead, especially on a day like today,” says Cunningham.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Gena Holley