Best friends are faithful, fun, and always have each other’s backs to defend one another until the very end. This applies whether the best friend is a human or a dog as was recently put to the test. Graham and Sheryl Anley took their Jack Russell terrier, Rosie, on a three month long oceanic voyage to Madagascar as originally reported by News24. What they did not anticipate was hitting the reef; however, on August 4th that is exactly what happened. Unfortunately, their yacht was unable to handle the impact and began to sink. Luckily, Graham has been a volunteer for the National Sea Rescue Institute based in South Africa. His expertise in such situations allowed the safe rescue for all three members of the journey.

Rosie, decked out in a life vest specifically tailored for dogs, was selected as the first to be rescued and taken to land, a benefit of being man’s best friend. As a nine-year-old terrier she was small and frail in comparison to the large brutality of the ocean, but fortunately had a best friend capable of ensuring her safety.

Sheryl was unable to swim with Graham and Rosie during the first rescue attempt as her safety line had become entangled in the steering wheel. This story has a happy ending for all involved partly because Graham was knowledgeable in how to handle such situations, but also, in part, since prior safety precautions were taken where all living parties had life vests. Graham had radioed for help, which notified rescuers of their yacht’s location before Graham even had time to return and bring Sheryl back to land. Whether Sheryl encouraged Graham to rescue Rosie first is not clear, but It is clear that all three are very fortunate and that the bond of being “man’s best friend” is an unbreakable one.