Those old enough to remember Lassie will also recall how she seemed to know everything that was going on around her.  She was in tune and often became integral in saving the lives of loved ones.  At least that's what the scripted legendary show depicted.  Last week in New Hampshire a real life Lassie episode unfolded.

Cam Laundry, his friend Justin Connors and Laundry's dog Tinsley were driving at night along a country road when Cam lost control of the vehicle and hit the embankment hard, rolling the car over into a ditch. Justin was seriously injured and both of them were immobile.  This is when Tinsley moved into action.

Being aware of the acute condition of her owner she ran off.  Ran off and stood in the middle of the road seemingly to flag down a car.  Neighbors saw the dog and got worried that it would be run over and possibly cause an accident. “Of course we care about the dog. We don’t want to see it get injured, but it can also pose traffic hazards to motorists or pedestrians,” said Captain Tim Cohen of the Lebanon police department.  “We wanted to make sure the dog didn’t cause an accident, especially on the interstate.” Said one onlooker that then dialed 911.

The police arrived quickly and began chasing TInsley, "She wouldn’t really get near anybody,” followed Cohen.  Thus ensued a chase for about 10 minutes, Tinsley running, then stopping, in order to allow the chasing police officers to catch up.  Suddenly the police noticed they were near a broken embankment and looking further they saw a car completely destroyed and turned upside down.  Upon further examination they found both Laundry and Connors alive, although severely hurt.  A second dog, a bulldog was sadly thrown in the crash and was already dead.

The Lebanon police chief, Phillip Roberts, said he had seen this behavior from police-trained dogs before, but never from a household pet. Laundry is back home now and Connors is recovering from leg and neck surgeries in hospital.  Tinsley had played the part of Lassie, seeking help for her injured human companions and leading them to where they were lying.

Stories like this are abound in the annals of the animals, particularly dogs.  Only a select few ever see the public eye, but these living breathing creatures are there day and night watching over us as best they can.  If only we humans had the capability to appreciate the precious gift given to us.

“I want my friend Justin to get better as soon as possible. Things could’ve been a lot worse than they were,” Laundry said. “We’re very fortunate to be here today because of my friend, Tinsley.”