A Loyal Dog Kept Watch Over Her Best Friend for a Whole Week After She Got Trapped in a Hole

Tillie, an Irish Setter, refused to leave her basset hound buddy behind after she got stuck in a concrete cistern

By Jenna Mullins Sep 18, 2015 4:39 PMTags

Now this is what we call loyalty.

Tillie, an Irish setter, refused to leave her fallen best buddy behind and stayed by her side for an entire week until help arrived. Phoebe, a basset hound, had gotten trapped in an old concrete cistern and couldn't climb out, but she was never alone during the entire ordeal.

Non-profit animal rescue group Vashon Island Pet Protectors in Washington had posted pictures of both the dogs when they were reported missing by their owners, and a search was well underway for the MIA pooches when a local called with a very important tip. He told the Pet Protectors that for the past couple of days a dog matching the description of one of the missing animals had been coming up to them before promptly heading back into the ravine where it came from.

Obviously, Tillie was trying to get some help for her friend Phoebe. The call to Pet Protectors paid off, because the team quickly started searching the area where the dog had been spotted. Eventually they heard a "small one-woof" response when they called out Tillie's name and they soon found what they were looking for.

"A few minutes later we found her laying beside an old cistern with her head resting on the concrete wall," the group wrote on their Facebook page. "Heart sinking...we knew that meant Phoebe was inside the cistern and every breath was held and every doggie prayer offered that the peek over the rim would somehow find her safe."

Their doggie prayers were answered, as Phoebe was found safe and sound! Tillie had watched over her for an entire week, only leaving to try and get help. The dogs were cold and hungry, but were otherwise safe are now back at home with their owners.

"Hope is an awfully hard thing to keep open and alive in the face of heartbreak, but it so important for happy endings for missing pets - or even for unhappy endings with closure," Amy Carey with VIPP told USA Today.

Are you crying over this incredible tale of friendship, too? If so, don't be ashamed. Let those tears flow and if anyone stares at you, just scream at them: "Phoebe and Tillie's bond is unshakeable!" Sure, they'll still look at you funny but at least now they know why you're crying.

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