Loyal dog stands by trapped friend for a week
In what could be described as a "doggie miracle", a loyal dog stood guard by its trapped friend for a week until the pair were found.
Tillie, a setter, and Phoebe, a basset hound, had been missing for a week when Vashon Island Pet Protectors in Washington state posted a desperate plea on Facebook last weekend in a last ditch effort to help find the two much-loved pets.
VIPP recieved a phonecall earlier this week from someone who said for the last few days a "reddish" dog had come up to their property and then dashed back into a nearby ravine.
Acting on this slim lead, volunteers arrived at the property hoping that the reddish dog was indeed Tillie.
After a brief search of the nearby ravine, they heard a slight bark when they called out "Tillie".
What the volunteers found a few minutes later was something truly moving.
Tillie was standing guard on the edge of a concrete tank where she had been looking out for Phoebe, who - because of her short legs - had been unable to get out of the hole for the past week.
VIPP describe the "needle in a haystack" find on their Facebook page:
Both dogs were cold and hungry but are doing well.
Amy Carey with VIPP told NBC News partner King5 that the remarkable discovery shows how unbreakable pack-bonds are in dogs and that it's a good reminder for owners never to give up searching for missing pets.