‘A Real-Life Lassie Story’: Loose Shepherd Dog Leads Police to Truck That Rolled Off Interstate to Save Injured Owner

‘A Real-Life Lassie Story’: Loose Shepherd Dog Leads Police to Truck That Rolled Off Interstate to Save Injured Owner
(Courtesy of Lebanon NH Police Department)
Epoch Inspired Staff
1/14/2022
Updated:
1/18/2022

Like an episode from “Lassie,” a Shiloh shepherd in New Hampshire is being hailed a hero after leading state police to the scene of an accident where a pair of motorists were badly injured and in need of rescuing.

On the evening of Jan. 3, around 10 p.m., New Hampshire State Police (NHSP) Trooper Sandburg arrived at the Interstate-89 bridge between New Hampshire and Vermont in Lebanon. It was there that he spotted a dog on the loose, 1-year-old Tinsley.

Trooper Sandberg and the Lebanon Police at first attempted to corral the canine, but they noticed the shepherd turned northward toward a section of damaged guardrail near the junction at Interstate-91. There, they discovered a badly damaged pickup truck that had rolled over off the roadway.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://lebanonnh.gov/1416/Police-Department%EF%BB%BF">Lebanon NH Police Department</a>)
(Courtesy of Lebanon NH Police Department)
Left: (Courtesy of <a href="https://www.nhsp.dos.nh.gov/">New Hampshire State Police</a>); Right: (Courtesy of <a href="https://lebanonnh.gov/1416/Police-Department%EF%BB%BF">Lebanon NH Police Department</a>)
Left: (Courtesy of New Hampshire State Police); Right: (Courtesy of Lebanon NH Police Department)

Two men had been ejected from the vehicle with serious injuries and were hypothermic.

“The dog wanted Trooper Sandberg and the officers to follow her. Tinsley, the dog, never tried to run away but rather lead them further up the road and over the bridge,” NHSP Lieutenant Dan Baldassarre, commander of Troop D, told The Epoch Times.

“It’s a real-life Lassie story, Tinsley led law enforcement directly to the crash scene to provide assistance. She’s the hero.”

The officers learned that one of the men, Cam Laundry, was the dog’s owner. “It quickly became apparent that Tinsley led Trooper Sandberg and the Lebanon Police to the crash site and injured occupants,” NHSP stated.
(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.nhsp.dos.nh.gov/">New Hampshire State Police</a>)
(Courtesy of New Hampshire State Police)

Tinsley enabled first responders to reach the victims sooner than they otherwise would have, EMTs said. Both men were taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center for care. Meanwhile, “Tinsley did not appear to be injured in the crash,” NHSP stated.

Laundry told the station that he planned to reward his heroic furry best friend and that she’s his “guardian angel.”

“She gets spoiled all the time,” Laundry told NBC. “She’ll get some venison probably burger tonight and probably some back scratches with it.”
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