Louie, the sheepdog, sparked concern when he went missing. His humans were worried that something horrible had happened to their beloved 12-year-old family dog. The truth was, however, Louie was on a dog rescue mission.

After the afternoon had passed, the lost dog came back. But his return didn’t calm them down completely. “He looked so exhausted, he had just collapsed under a bush,” Marolyn Diver, the daughter of Louie’s owners, told Bored Panda. “We were concerned someone might have hurt him.”

Marolyn’s mother then noticed a note attached to the shepherd dogs’ collar. “Louie is the hero of the day,” it read. “He led me to Maddy in distress stuck under a branch pile. Cheers, Rob.” Shortly after, Marolyn covered the elderly darling in a big blanket which he shifted and snuggled into, staying there till morning.

Rob is a farmer who lives nearby, and Maddy is his dog. “He was one of our many neighbors who were used to telling the clever dog to ‘go home’ when he showed up.” Marolyn and her parents called Rob to learn more about the mysterious story.

According to the man, he hadn’t been able to find his missing dog Maddy that day as he headed off to town. When he returned, however, Louie was there, insisting on being followed. “Rob said he was 100 percent sure that Louie knew what he was doing, and getting Rob to Maddy was his one pure focus,” Marolyn said. “Once he found her, Louie helped Rob dig her out, pulling at branches, digging out the ground. Rob said the second she was free both dogs ran to a nearby pond and jumped into it exhausted and drinking water. He then gave the smart dog a huge handful of biscuits as a thank you. He knew Louie might get in trouble for being late home, so he thought he would write a small note to explain his absence.”