‘True Lassie’: Dog leads rescue team to man who plunged 70 feet near Tahoe National Forest

Saul is a very good boy.

So good, in fact, that’s he’s being hailed as a hero for leading search and rescue crews on a 200-yard trek after his owner was injured when he fell 70 feet while hiking near Tahoe National Forest.

In “true Lassie fashion,” Saul, a border collie, ran through the forest and got the attention of two searchers last week, according to Nevada County sheriff’s officials. Saul eventually led them to his owner, who was covered in a camouflage tarp and had suffered broken ribs and a broken hip.

“At first we didn’t believe it because it sounded like a movie,” Sgt. Dennis Haack of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue said of Wednesday’s rescue in a report by KCRA-TV. “When they came back and actually described it to us, the reality was that they had followed the dog directly to the victim.”

The man, who was not identified, had actually fallen Tuesday night, Haack said, and somehow managed to get enough cellphone service to call for help. First responders received the call around noon Wednesday, and with Saul’s help, were able to find the man by 7 p.m. He was flown to a hospital by air ambulance.

As for Saul, the heroic pooch “was given a well-deserved dinner,” and is being taken care of by a nonprofit in Grass Valley while his owner receives medical care.