In Mason, Texas, J.R. Nicholson, 85, was taken to the hospital when he complained that he was feeling dizzy.
Nicholson’s beagle, Buddy, was left back at the ranch. Or so he thought…
After traveling for approximately 20 miles, motorists flagged down the ambulance carrying Nicholson to tell paramedics that they had an unexpected passenger that had hitched a ride with them.
Outside of the ambulance, hanging onto the side, was Buddy.
He was perched on a small side step of the ambulance.
“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,” Tanner Brown, an emergency medical technician, said.
He was completely fine, despite that the trek to the hospital included “twists, and hills, a bridge, and a highway.”
Nicholson’s ranch hand, Brian Wright, had stayed behind to close up the ranch. When he didn’t see Buddy, he wasn’t concerned.
From the Standard-Times:
“I stayed to close up here,” Wright said. “But I couldn’t find Buddy.”
Buddy has a habit of roaming around the ranch, so when Wright couldn’t find him it wasn’t a huge concern. Buddy always made his way back.
Nicholson got Buddy from a shelter a few months ago, and since then Buddy has grown accustomed to riding on utility vehicles around the ranch.
Clearly, the ambulance was just another ride.
“I was impressed,” Nicholson said. “He didn’t have to go to the hospital with me, but he did.”
When Wright got to the hospital, paramedics told him they had the dog. He was surprised, for sure.
“Two things go through your mind in a split second,” Wright said. “First, what could have happened to (Buddy), and second, you realize he is quite an animal.”
Indeed, Buddy is quite an animal. Stopping at nothing to make sure his beloved owner was okay, he’s proof of the inseparable bond our beloved animals share with their humans.