Dog's Loyalty to Trapped Friend Is Heartwarming

Tillie stood guard over Phoebe for a week until help arrived
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 17, 2015 2:44 PM CDT
Dog's Loyalty to Trapped Friend Is Heartwarming
Tillie stood guard over her trapped friend Phoebe for a week until she was able to bring help.   (VIPP Facebook)

A heroically loyal Washington state dog pulled a Lassie this week, bringing help to an equally adorable pooch stuck at the bottom of a cistern, KING 5 reports. Tillie and Phoebe had been missing for a week Monday when a resident alerted volunteers from the Vashon Island Pet Protectors that a strange dog had been repeatedly approaching them, then heading back into a wooded ravine nearby. Volunteers searched the ravine, which was miles away from where the dogs had last been seen, and finally heard a single bark when they called out Tillie's name.

They found Tillie lying next to an old cistern inside of which Phoebe was perched on a small pile of concrete to stay dry. "For nearly a week, Tillie stayed by her side with the exception of the few minutes of each day when she went for help," states a post on the Pet Protectors Facebook page. The dogs were cold and hungry but otherwise OK. Pet Protectors describes Tillie's devotion to Phoebe as "a humbling example of the power of love." Good dog. (More uplifting news stories.)

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