Green Country Hero Dog Called A Lifesaver

A Green Country woman says her dog Knox is a hero in more ways than one.  When Tara Vreeland got her golden retriever, Knox, he instantly helped turn heartache into happiness.

"It was kind of Kismet," said Tara. "He was born on the day I put my horse down."

"I look at that date as a birthday now, instead of a sad day."

You may recognize Knox - and Tara. Both have spent time working on the News On 6 anchor desk.

"He was at Channel 6 - used to run the roost there, used to run around on the floor," said the former News On 6 anchor and reporter.

Now Knox and his German Shepard brother and sister, Scarlett and Ruger run their neighborhood on Grand Lake. They love golf cart rides, playing fetch and taking walks.

It was a walk that got Scarlett in trouble earlier this month. 

"She just darted through the trees, and she was gone," Tara said.

Tara searched for hours, which turned into days.

"She just vanished," Tara said.

Tara offered a reward, searched by boat, even had her friend send up a drone to scan the bluffs. Still...no Scarlett. 

"I was really just trying to think outside the box," said Tara Vreeland, dog owner.

On day four, Tara tried one more place - a spot along the bluffs. She had Knox with her. He's not a search and rescue dog, but he started acting like one.

"He puts his nose to the ground, like Scooby Do, and just starts sniffing around, sniffing around, sniffing around," she said.

Knox was onto something. Tara knew he was telling her something, but she wasn't sure what.

"Since I didn't hear anything, and he was still kind of proceeding with caution, I was scared for the worst, of course," she said.

But then, in the quiet, she heard a whimper and the clink of a collar.

"And my heart stopped," Tara said.

It was Scarlett. 

"It's a happy ending when everyone was scared there wouldn't be," she said.

A neighbor climbed about 20 feet down to save her. Scarlett had been trapped for days on a small ledge, with no food, no water.

Amazingly she was just fine.

Now she's back home, all thanks to Knox.

"I can't put into words how incredible I think he is. He's pretty cute; he's really funny, he's feisty, he can be a little bit of a brat, but he's also a hero," she said.