Firefighter finds loyal dog in deceased woman’s home — decides to adopt her himself

It’s heartbreaking when someone passes away and leaves a pet behind, but thankfully there are people willing to step up and give these grieving animals a new home.

That was the case recently, when one firefighter found a dog in the home of a newly-deceased woman — and decided to give her a home.

James Trounson, a firefighter from the Mullion Community Fire Station in Cornwall, England, assisted the nearby Helston Community Fire Station in a call to a local woman’s home.

The firefighters found the woman deceased in her home — with only her four-legged companion, an 8-year-old terrier named Martha, by her side.

Trounson was tasked with getting the dog out, and he soon won Martha’s trust. “The little terrier took quite a bit of persuading to come to me, [but] eventually she just jumped into my arms,” the firefighter told Fox News Digital.

The deceased woman reportedly had no next of kin, so it was uncertain what would happen to her little dog — but then, Trounson stepped up and decided to adopt her himself!

Though it’s sad that Martha lost her loving owner, it’s great that she instantly found a new home to spend the rest of her days in. “Out of tragedy, sometimes there is happiness,” the Helston Community Fire Station wrote on Facebook.

Martha is going to have a great life: according to Fox, Trounson and his family live on a farm, and the little dog has quickly adjusted to her new surroundings. She’s also a great companion to the firefighter’s other dog, a rescued collie named Merlin.

“She rides around in the tractor as if it was second nature and loves it,” Trounson told the outlet.