Two heartbroken pet dogs were found guarding their dead buddy’s body who was hit by a car along the road while trying to find their way home.

The missing trio had wandered into the woods near their house after a storm hit the area in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on March 26.

When the weather was better the next morning the dogs began walking back home but one of them, a German Shepherd mixed-breed, was killed by a passing car.

His two buddies – a Beagle named Miller and a Siberian Husky named Cooler – refused to leave their friend and prevented strangers from walking near his body.

Jaruwat Saiyawong found the dogs when he passed by the road that morning (March 27) and called the animal rescuers for help.

He said: ‘I tried to help the injured animal. I’m not sure if he was alive or dead then but there were wounds around his head area.

‘I wanted to rush the dog to the veterinarians but his two friends tried to bite me when I approached them. They appeared to be protecting their friend.’

When the rescue team arrived, they first tried to calm the two dogs, who were then howling and circling around the dead pooch.

When the volunteers were able to gain the two dogs’ trust, the paramedics checked on the collapsed pooch but he was already dead.

They placed the dead dog inside a body bag while the other pooches scratched the back of the car trying to open it to free their friend.

Concerned local Jarawut said he found the family who owned the dogs with the help of rescuers and returned their pet pooches to them the next day (March 28).

One of the owners said they searched for the dogs after the storm but were not able to find them.

He said: ‘We were contacted by the rescue team who told us they had found our dogs. We immediately went to take our pets. We are grieving for the death of our pet, he was smart and kind.’

The dead dog was buried in the family’s backyard while the two other pooches were returned to their family.