LEBANON, N.H. — A dog in New Hampshire is being hailed as a hero for leading police to the victims of a serious crash.
New Hampshire State Police said a trooper responded to a report of a loose dog on Interstate 89 near the border with Vermont around 10 p.m. Monday. The trooper, joined by officers from a local police department, spotted the dog on the interstate.
As the officers tried to get close to the dog, it ran off, leading the officers north on the interstate into Vermont. A short time later, the officers noticed a heavily damaged guard rail and found a pick-up truck that had rolled over and ejected two occupants of the truck from the vehicle.
Both victims were reportedly seriously injured in the crash. As police called for medical help, they learned the dog, a Shiloh shepherd named Tinsley, belonged to one of the injured occupants of the truck.
"It quickly became apparent that Tinsley led Trooper Sandberg and the Lebanon Police to the crash site and injured occupants," New Hampshire State Police wrote in a Facebook post recounting the incident.
The department said Tinsley was not hurt in the crash and is "safe and well."
Tinsley's owner, 31-year-old Cam Laundry, said it was a miracle what his dog did after he crashed his pick-up.
“She’s my little guardian angel you know,” Laundry told WPTZ. “It’s a miracle that she had that kind of intelligence to do what she did.”
“We’ve had, you know, a lot of amazing stories with our trained K9s and stuff, but not for just a household pet to lead you down that road and play a role in saving some lives,” Lebanon Police Chief Phillip Roberts said.
Laundry suffered a concussion in the crash and was knocked out until Tinsley and police arrived. His passenger, 40-year-old Justin Connors, will reportedly be fine, but has more serious injuries from which he has to recover.
Laundry told NECN that, sadly, Connors also had a dog in the truck when it crashed. Connors' dog was struck on the interstate after the crash.
While police are still investigating the crash, Laundry did say that he had some drinks earlier Monday night, but didn't think it was too much to drive. He said the incident "definitely was a wake-up call" for him.
As for Tinsley, she was getting a venison dinner to reward her for her bravery.