Which brings to mind that old joke ....

/

a good pig — or dog — is hard to find

‘Lost’ dog on New Hampshire highway leads police to owner injured in car wreck

LEBANON, New Hampshire — A state trooper and police responding to reports of a dog running loose on an interstate Monday night realized the canine knew exactly what it was doing ... and it was a lifesaver.

The Shiloh shepherd named Tinsley led Trooper Tom Sandberg and Lebanon police officers to her owner and another man who had been badly injured after their pickup went off Interstate 89 and rolled over, ejecting both men, according to a news release from the State Highway Patrol.

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

At about 10 p.m. Monday Sandberg responded to a call at about a loose dog on the Veterans Memorial Bridge on I-89 near the border with Vermont, the news release says.

Sandberg and Lebanon police officers tried to get hold of Tinsley, but every time they got close, she would continue to run north on I-89. Tinsley eventually crossed the border into Vermont, and officers noticed a section of guardrail near the interstate had been damaged. Baldassarre tells CNN that Tinsley stood at the top of an embankment and looked down.

The officers found the badly damaged pickup truck, which had rolled over. They then found the two male passengers both had been thrown from the truck and were hypothermic and seriously injured.

Sandberg and Lebanon police officers tried to get hold of Tinsley, but every time they got close, she would continue to run north on I-89. Tinsley eventually crossed the border into Vermont, and officers noticed a section of guardrail near the interstate had been damaged. Baldassarre tells CNN that Tinsley stood at the top of an embankment and looked down.

The officers found the badly damaged pickup truck, which had rolled over. They then found the two male passengers both had been thrown from the truck and were hypothermic and seriously injured. 

Both men were taken to a hospital for treatment. Tinsley was not injured in the crash.

“She’s my guardian angel,” Cam Laundry, Tinsley’s owner, tells WPTZ Channel 5. “It’s a miracle that she had that kind of intelligence to do what she did.”

The owner told reporters that he’d be feeding his Shiloh Shepard a meal of venison and beef tenderloin last night, which is nice, but it shows the loss of practicality New Englanders have suffered over the years. Here’s a true story from an earlier time:

A travelling salesman drove past a farm one day and noticed a pig with one wooden leg. He didn't think much of it until a week later, driving by the same farm, the pig had two wooden legs. The third week, the pig had three wooden legs, and finally, after seeing the pig the fourth week with four wooden legs, he had to stop to inquire about it.

He tracked down the farmer and asked him about the strange sight. The farmer told him, "Well, that's the greatest pig alive. About a month ago, he saved my wife and kids and me from our burning house by waking us up in the middle of the night just in time to escape without any harm!"

The salesman continue to prod the farmer about the pig's wooden legs. "Well," the farmer replied, "this pig is just like one of the family. He's a really great pig. A couple of weeks ago, our youngest boy fell in the creek, and this truly wonderful pig fished him out just in time to save him from drowning! He's one really great pig!"

The salesman, starting to lose his patience, again inquired about the wooden legs, to which the farmer replied, "Last week, I fell off my horse and my foot got caught up in the stirrup. This great pig ran along side of the horse and me and untangled me and truly saved my life. What a great pig - the greatest pig in the world!!"

Losing his patience, the salesman finally shouted, "All right already, That's enough! He's a really great pig - a REALLY great pig! But what about his wooden legs?!"

To which the farmer replied, "Well now, a great pig like that - you don't eat him all at once!"