A "determined" dog named Jacques recently helped save the life of his canine best friend Annabelle after she got trapped in an icy embankment in Orange, Massachusetts, according to police.
The two white Scottish Terriers, who have "been together their whole lives," accidentally escaped from home when their elderly owner had a medical emergency this past Tuesday morning, according to Orange Police Department Officer Chris Bisceglia.
While searching for the terriers later that day, Bisceglia spotted Jacques alone in the middle of "a large open field," he told ABC News.
Jacques "would bark, run away and then stop to look back to make sure I was following him," Bisceglia said. "At one point, he let me pet him as though he was trying to say, "OK, come on! Keep coming with me!"
Dog Watches Guard Over Its Trapped 'Best Friend' for Week After They Got Lost The Mystery of This Adorable 'Bear Dog' Has Been Solved Pot-Bellied Pig and 2 Dogs Found Abandoned Together Are Now 'Inseparable' BFFsThe officer said he followed Jacques all the way to end of the field where he looked down and saw Annabelle stuck in an "icy and swampy" embankment.
"I was amazed," he said. "This little terrier was smarter than me. If it weren't for him, his little friend probably wouldn't have survived the night. It was really cold that day. The temperature was in the single digits."
Bisceglia called firefighters to bring down a ladder to rescue Annabelle. The pup was then taken to a local veterinarian's office, where she was treated for minor cuts on her ears.
Jacques and Annabelle stayed with North Quabbin Regional Animal Control until Wednesday, when their owner was discharged from the hospital and they got to go back home, Bisceglia said.
"Apparently, any dog in the right circumstance can turn into 'Lassie'! Nice work by all involved," the Orange Police Department wrote on Facebook.