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If you have a pet dog, you probably look at him or her as part of the family. Dogs can be our best friends, and sometimes even our substitute children. We care for them, love them relentlessly, and share a bond with our them that only other pet parents can understand. While our pets bring us lots of emotional support, we rarely think about them taking care of us the way we take care of them. However, there are stories that sometimes come out that show us how heroic our four legged friends can truly be.
Such was the case for Tracy Matkea, who experienced a terrifying day out in the Arizona desert.
Natives to Canada, Tracy and her husband often took trips to Wickenburg, Arizona to care for their horses. She decided to take one of their horses out on a trail alone, while her husband and dog, Becky Jo, stayed back at home.
Everything was going alone fine for the 56-year-old woman while out on the trail, but suddenly, the horse became spooked suddenly and began to run. The reaction from the horse caused Tracy to become knocked unconscious, and she was dragged along like that for about half a mile.
“Whether the horse tripped or fell, I don’t know. I was knocked unconscious, or I was definitely incoherent. I have zero memory of the whole situation.” Tracy said.
The horse was even more panicked after pulling Tracy along by the stirrups, the when they eventually encountered a rocky desert, she fell off. The incident left Tracy completely alone, off the path, and with many injuries. She had been left completely scalped from being dragged along by the horse, and she also had a concussion, a fractured skull, and a shattered bone in her eye.
The horse had managed to make its way back to the house, and Tracy’s husband realized something was wrong when the dog, Becky Jo started acting strangely.
The 4-year-old Australian Shepherd Border Collie mix starting running around the driveway and barking. Tracy’s husband Butch quickly got in his 4x4 to find out what had happened to his wife. Usually, Becky Jo jumps in the 4x4 right beside Butch, but this time, she took off into the woods. Butch knew right then and there that he had to follow the frantic dog.
“Sure enough, she led him to exactly where I was, and where I ended up landing would have been somewhere he wouldn’t have been able to look because it wasn’t on the regular riding path.” Tracy said.
Butch called 9-1-1, and ambulance arrived right away. Tracy would have bled out within 10 minutes if the ambulance hadn’t have come to her aid in time. It took about 100 staples and stitches to care for Tracy’s scalp, and though it’s been a year since the incident, she still still deals with the side effects of her major injuries.
Despite how much Tracy has been through, she knows that she truly owes her life to her sweet dog Becky Joe.
“I knew she was an intelligent dog but I would have never, ever, guessed her to do something like this.” Tracy said.
The amazing pup was awarded with a year’s worth of pet food, $5000, and a gold medal from the Purina Hall of Fame for what she did for her owner. Tracy’s recovery hasn’t been easy, but she is so thankful for her dog. While it was Tracy who rescued Becky Jo as a puppy, the story has now come full circle! Becky Jo became Tracy’s rescuer when she needed her most.
What do you think of this incredible story?
