LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:
When you're in a tight spot, there's nothing like support from a devoted friend, especially if that friend is a Irish setter spaniel mix. Phoebe, a basset hound, found herself in just such a pinch recently. A couple of weeks ago, she escaped her house on Vashon Island in Washington state. There was a party going on. A door was left open. In all the hubbub, Phoebe hit the road. A week later, things did not look good. Phoebe got herself stuck in a concrete cistern, and her owner, B.J. Duft, could not find her.
Fortunately, Phoebe brought along a chaperone - that spaniel mix we mentioned earlier, Tillie. And sure enough, Vashon Island Pet Protectors got a call about a dog that kept appearing in a backyard and then running toward a nearby ravine. When rescuers followed the tip, they found Tillie standing sentinel over the cistern and Phoebe trapped inside. B.J. Duft happily reunited with his dogs did not seem a bit surprised.
When Phoebe follows her little basset hound nose, Tillie always goes along with her to make sure she's OK. He told ABC News they are best pals, inseparable. The dogs were hungry and tired but otherwise OK. They all celebrated with a hamburger dinner. And Duft told ABC that a dog collar with GPS tracking was ordered and on its way. Tillie, we imagine, is relieved. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.