Furry Tails: A Story Of True Friendship

"A true friend and a humbling example of the power of love."

Her name is Tillie, not Lassie, but she comes pretty darn close!

Tillie and her best friend Phoebe could teach us all a lesson in compassion, love, loyalty, true friendship and never giving up.

These two dogs, a setter and basset hound, found themselves in quite the ordeal earlier this week in their home state of Washington.

After disappearing from their home, the call went out to find them. The local animal shelter there, Vashon Island Pet Protectors, or VIPP for short, stepped in to help.

Miraculously, a call came in from a concerned community member who had spotted a little "reddish" dog on their property and in the wooded-area behind it.

VIPP volunteer Amy Carey tells the story on the shelter's Facebook page: "We received a call from a community member reporting that for the past few days a 'reddish' dog had been coming up to them when they were out on their property and then promptly heading back into a ravine."

So, the searchers headed into the woods.

"A small one-woof response when we called out 'Tillie,'" Carey writes on Facebook. "A few minutes later we found her [lying] beside an old cistern with her head resting on the concrete wall."

Fearing the worst, the searchers worried what they would find in the cistern. Poor Phoebe, was she okay? And then, another miracle.

"This time we have a happy ending with dear Phoebe found perched on some concrete rubble that held her out of the water," said Carey.

Sweet Phoebe with her sad eyes stared up at them. Turns out, the cistern wall was just a little too high for her to jump out of. And the best friend that Tillie is, she waited with Phoebe for better or worse until help arrived.

"For nearly a week, Tillie stayed by her side with the exception of the few minutes of each day when she went for help," Carey writes.

The dogs are now home, safe and sound.

But Tillie and Phoebe's story has now gone viral and international! It's been written about by CBS News, USA Today and other major news outlets.

On Facebook, VIPP's post about the dogs has been shared more than 3,700 times with more than 9,000 likes and over 900 comments. And those numbers continue to grow.

Good girl, Tillie. What an amazing friend you are! Phoebe is lucky to have you.
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Stay tuned animal lovers for more Furry Tails! You can follow me on Twitter at @HeatherLang24

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