Dog Called ‘Real-Life Lassie’ After Leading Police to Scene of Crash Where Owner Was Injured

You’ve probably heard of Lassie, the fictional Rough Collie who was at the center of Eric Knight’s full-length novel Lassie Come Home, which was later expanded into a film and TV series. Well, it’s time to meet Lassie’s real-life counterpart, Tinsley, an actual dog who saved her owner from an overturned truck.

The true story begins in Hartford, Vermont where, according to local news station My NBC 5, police were alerted to an overturned truck off the side of Interstate 89 by a Shiloh Shepherd named Tinsley,who was trying to save her owners.  New Hampshire State Police Lt. Daniel Baldassarre said to the press that the pet was running down the Memorial Bridge, and when police attempted to catch her, she led them right to where the truck had flipped over.

“This was almost like a real-life Lassie situation,” Baldassarre added. “It’s really quite remarkable. This dog definitely saved their lives. I don’t think they would have survived the night given the temperatures.”

One of the men in the truck, Cam Laundry, was Tinsley’s owner and said that the loyal hound rescuing him was another indicator of how she is his guardian angel.

“She’s my little guardian angel you know,” Laundry said. “It’s a miracle that she had that kind of intelligence to do what she did.”

Captain Jack Hedges of the Hartford Fire Department also noted how Tinsely waited by her owner’s side as they pried open the truck and freed the men.

“The whole time we were starting our patient care it sat there nice and calm right next to its owner,” the Captain added.

As for Tinsley’s reward, Laundry said he made sure to give the loyal pet a special meal for practically saving his life. But possibly the highest honor of all? Tinsley was also rated a 15 out of 10 from the Twitter account We Rate Dogs, an organization very respected in the field of measuring the accolades of pets.

Dog’s really are man’s best friend.