Concerned Canine Sits With Fallen Friend for a Week Until Help Arrives

In an uplifting tale of canine loyalty and compassion, Tillie the golden retriever refused to leave the side of her basset hound friend Phoebe when she was trapped in a hole in the ground, unable to escape. The pair, who live on the island of Vashon, Washington, never returned to their home after going out for a walk. Their owner, who searched and was unable to find them, enlisted the help of Amy Carey, a volunteer with the Vashon Island Pet Protectors. Carey said,

"We had been out looking for about a week when we heard from a farmer here who noticed a reddish dog on his property. She had quietly approached him, and when she got his attention, turned around and headed back toward this ravine nearby. I decided to go check it out."

As it turned out, the basset hound had fallen into a cistern that was too deep from which to escape. Carey continued,

"When I got there and looked down, Tillie saw me but didn't come running up. She just stayed near the edge of this cistern, pressed with her head as close as she could get. Had she run up, we might have never realized that Phoebe was down there. She just stayed put, making it so clear that I had to come to her so I would see her friend."

Read the rest of this heartwarming story and see additional photos here. 

Via Bored Panda | Images: Vashon Island Pet Protectors