VIDEO — ‘Real Life Lassie’: Rescue Dog Gets Help When Elderly Owner Suffers Injury in Woods

A dog in Stevens County, Washington, knew exactly what to do when her elderly owner was injured and no help was in sight.

On Septemer 25, Stevens County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Wright was patrolling in a rural and wooded area when he spotted something unusual, the agency explained in a social media post on October 1.

A dog was sitting in the roadway and Wright attempted to get her to hop into his vehicle so he could locate her family. However, she refused to budge:

The deputy checked homes within a mile of the spot, but when he was unable to locate her owner, he returned and found the dog laying on the centerline of the roadway. He made a second attempt to safely move her off the road, however, the canine had other plans in mind.

“She just stood up and looked at me, and she looked back towards the driveway and then looked at me and then she took off up the driveway,” Wright told KREM. He followed the dog and eventually came upon a cabin where he saw an elderly man on the ground calling for help.

The man was later identified as 84-year-old Keith Johnson who suffers from medical conditions that need regular medication.

Johnson’s blood sugar was low that morning, and as he was going to get some juice to drink, he noticed his dog, Gita, needed to be let outside. When she walked toward the woods, Johnson followed her but it was not too long before he began to feel dizzy and fell down, breaking his hip, per KREM.

Johnson, who lay there for hours, said every time he called to Gita, she came to his side until she decided to go for help. “I was immensely relieved that I’d been saved, and then I discovered that it was Gita,” Johnson, who is recovering in the hospital, recalled.

He added that Wright told him, “Your dog’s a hero, she saved your life today.”

According to the sheriff’s office, 13-year-old Gita is a rescue dog. “We credit Gita for saving his life that day. The loyalty and heroism of our furry friends never cease to amaze us,” the agency said.

Social media users were quick to respond to the story and photos from the sheriff’s office, one person writing, “I’m not crying, you’re crying! Thank you, Deputy, for going the extra mile and listening to that pup!”

“Rescue animals rarely forget who saved them. Great job Officer Wright,” another user commented, while someone else said, “This is so cool, real life lassie.”