It’s often said that a dog is a man’s best friend, but in this case – a loyal four-footer even turned out to be a real lifesaver. Joseph Philips-Garcia and his trusted pooch Sako have been inseparable ever since they met, and the bond they share is quite remarkable. Joseph has been best friends with Sako ever since he was a small puppy.

The king shepherd would never want to leave the side of this young teen, and that’s something that he has definitely proven during a horrible incident both of them were involved in.

Tragically, a calm day in the mountains turned out to become a disaster for Joseph and his family.

He’d planned a visit to the mountains just to pick some wild potatoes and to fish, and relax in the middle of the beautiful nature along with a friend of his and his aunt. Of course, Sako was present as well, because he loves field trips!

After a calm day, things took a very tragic turn for the worse. All of them were on the way back home, but they were involved in a horrible car crash. Joseph and Sako were the only ones that made it out alive, his aunt and his friend were killed by the impact. To make things even worse, the crash happened in a fairly remote area, meaning that Joseph and his dog were pretty much isolated. The car crashed in a rather steep drop, which made it impossible for the drivers on the roadway above to actually see or hear them.

Even though Joseph survived, he was badly hurt and his leg was broken.

The bone was even protruding from his leg, and there was no way that Joseph could support his own weight or could even walk. The young man lost consciousness multiple times, but he still remembers how Sako was the one who was always beside him and would even place himself on top of Joseph’s bloody head to keep his temperature under control.

“I felt my head and I looked down at my hand and it was just full of blood,” the teen explained. “Sako laid on top of me, kept me pretty warm.”

What Sako did next, ended up saving Joseph’s life.

The night would come pretty soon, but Sako knew exactly what to do next. He managed to grab pieces of wood and bring them closer to his owner who couldn’t move in order to make a fire. The four-footer also discovered a stream that was not so far away, providing Joseph with some much-needed hydration.

However, there was another challenge awaiting them that was perhaps the scariest one of all.

A group of coyotes was surrounding Joseph and clearly had the intention of attacking him, but Sako bravely and selflessly managed to fend them off.

“We were just falling asleep, and that’s when you hear the first couple of howls,” the teen said. “He got up as soon as he realized their scent was coming closer and closer, and then he just went in. You could hear them just fighting and the bushes rumbling around.”

After two nights and three days, rescuers finally arrived at the scene.

Without Sako, this young teen likely wouldn’t be around anymore.

“I don’t really understand my part of surviving,” Joseph said, “but a big part of it was Sako.”

The loyal dog is now being treated as a hero, and rightfully so. Pet food maker Purina even inducted him into the 47th Animal Hall of Fame, and he received a medal for his bravery.

An absolutely amazing rescue story!

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Source: Purina Canada