Relentlessly loyal black Border Collie led rescuers 200 yards to his 53-year-old owner

Rescuers were guided 200 yards by a fiercely devoted black Border Collie to the 53-year-old owner, who had suffered several rib and hip fractures on July 13 while hiking in a woodland in California.

Saul, an obedient dog, was lauded by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team as a “real-life Lassie” when he led rescuers to the location of his injured and stranded owner.

Before finding Saul, 25 rescuers spent seven hours searching for the region that is not reachable by car.

Sergeant Dennis Haack of the New York Times said that one of the rescuers claimed the animal appeared to make eye contact with them before leaving towards the area where his owner would be located.

Saul started spinning around in circles and then ran 20 feet ahead of them, eager to bring help to his ailing owner.

Sergeant Haack told the Times that one of the rescuers said by radio, ‘Hey, I think this dog is trying to lead us somewhere … So we’re going to follow him.’

Saul the Border Collie led rescuers 200 yards to his 53-year-old owner, who had broken his hip and several ribs during a hike in a California forestHaack told the Times that he first did not have much faith in it, but later came to believe that his staff would be able to track down the individual since they are skilled in doing so.

Early in July, Saul and his human, who has a “rather reclusive existence,” went on a trek close to Tahoe National Forest.

But when the man fell 70 feet off a ridge, shattering his hip and many ribs, things took a bad turn.

With man’s best friend at his side, he was able to reach a location with mobile phone coverage and dial 911 for assistance.

A friend of the injured guy had provided images of the cat to the rescue crew and instructed them to “search for Saul,” knowing that Saul would direct rescuers to his owner.

They began pursuing him. According to Haack, they traveled between 150 and 200 yards before arriving to the victim.

The 53-year-old victim was later discovered covered in a camouflage tarp and laying on a bed of mud. Authorities characterized his wounds as horrific.

Saul was briefly transported to a charity after being saved, where he was praised for his faithfulness.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, the grateful owner repeatedly requested to be reunited with his rescuer and best friend, Haack said.

When human and dog were finally reunited, Saul was rewarded with a well-deserved beef jerky stick.

‘He is very lucky that his dog directed our search personnel to him,’ Haack told NBC.