Until another challenger comes forward, the bravest little dog in the world is officially Buddy, a four-year-old Beagle mix who rode on the side of an ambulance for 20 miles to stay with his owner.
EMT Tanner Brown was transporting Texas rancher JR Nichols, 85, to the hospital after he called 911 complaining of dizziness. After driving about 20 miles, a motorist flagged down the ambulance to let Brown knew he there was a canine companion riding along on the small side step of the vehicle, according to the Standard Times.
“It was a crazy ordeal,” said Brown, an emergency medical technician who has been with the county for a year. “We didn’t have anything else to do but to load the dog up and put him in the ambulance and take him to the ER with us.”
It’s a good thing Buddy was found when he was, because the ride from Nichols’ ranch to the hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas was over an hour long.
Nichols was able to see Buddy while in the hospital, and was released later that day. His take on the dog’s unflappable loyalty was brief, but heartfelt.
“I was impressed,” Nichols said. “He didn’t have to go to the hospital with me, but he did.”
[h/t Standard Times, Gawker; img via AP]
