They Tried to Corral a Loose Dog. He Led Them to This

Bring on the Lassie comparisons: A Vermont man credits his dog for coming to his rescue, and officials are praising the dog as well. Tinsley, a 1-year-old Shiloh Shepherd, was seen running loose on I-89's Veterans Memorial Bridge at the Vermont-New Hampshire line on Monday, say New Hampshire State Police in a Facebook post. After being alerted to the dog's presence, a state trooper and officers from the Lebanon Police Department tried to capture it, but as they got "close to the canine, it continued to run northbound on Interstate 89, crossing into Vermont."

As CNN reports, the dog would run and then stop and stare, as if it was trying to get their attention. "The dog stood at the top of the embankment and looked down," said Lt. Daniel Baldassarre of New Hampshire State Police. They then spotted a guardrail that had been damaged, as well as an overturned pickup and two ejected occupants who were "hypothermic and seriously injured," per NHSP. The dog "almost alert[ed] them to what was off the roadway," Baldassarre said, per WPTZ. Tinsley's owner, Cam Laundry, was one of the men who'd been ejected. He and the other man were treated at an area hospital.

Laundry had nothing but praise for the dog, who he says is due some venison burger and back scratches as thanks. "Of course, she never leaves my side, so we're always together in that truck that got wrecked," he said. "She's always my co-pilot, she's always with me." The head of the Hartford Fire Department echoed that, noting, "The whole time we were starting our patient care it sat there nice and calm right next to its owner." (More uplifting news stories.)