When Marolyn Diver and her family adopted Louie the sheepdog from a shelter as a puppy over a decade earlier, they never dreamed he would become the hero that he is today. At 12-years-old Louie is now a hero in the New Zealand farm community in which he lives.

As a youngster, Louie was quite an adventurer and liked to roam about in the forest next to his home, but at his older age he seemed to be less adventurous and liked to stick around the house with his family. That is until one day when he disappeared.

Louie’s family weren’t terribly concerned at first, but when the day stretched on and Louie still hadn’t come home they grew concerned. They were afraid the senior dog wouldn’t be able to find his way home. Relief washed over the family when he finally appeared, but the note hanging from his collar brought renewed concern. They feared he had caused trouble and the note might be a warning to his family.

Instead, the note was one praising Louie for his actions that day. While Louie was away, it turns out, he’d been saving a life. The note was from a neighbor about a mile away from the Diver’s home and it said, “Louie is the hero of the day. He led me to Maddy, in distress, stuck under a branch pile. Cheers,” Rob.

The Divers’, after reading the short note, was curious to hear the entire story and contacted Rob. It seems as if Maddy (Rob’s dog) had gotten herself caught underneath a pile of brush while Rob was in town running an errand. When he returned, he found Louie there who led him to Maddy where the two of them then dug to rescue her. He tied the note on Louie’s collar so his family would know where he’d been in hopes that he wouldn’t get in trouble for coming home so late.

Unfortunately for Louie, the rescue mission took its toll on the aging animal. His family was concerned for him and he seemed to be in bad shape even after some rest. He could hardly walk and he just looked terrible. They thought he might not make it through the night.

However, the next morning, Louie had a visitor from a friend who perked him right up! Rob came to visit with Maddy riding in a basket on the front of his bicycle. As soon as he saw his friend Maddy, Louie made a miraculous recovery and was right back to normal!

The Diver family said they always knew that Louie was special, but his actions have made them even more fond of him. “I’m so proud of him,” said Marolyn. “It has changed the way I look at him. He’s a true hero.”