After an accident left Tracy barely conscious, her pup, Becky Jo, raced to her rescue!

Retired teacher Tracy Matkea lay on the desert ground, barely conscious. The only one who knew she was injured was her dog, Becky Jo . . .

She’s adorable!” Tracy Matkea cooed when her husband, Butch, lifted the tiny pup from the plastic bin in the feed store marked Free!

Instantly, the black, tan and white ball of fluff curled into Butch’s arms.

“Let me hold her,” Tracy asked, and looking up with wide eyes, the pup seemed to beg: Please take me home. I’ll be the best dog ever!

In that moment, Tracy knew they had to adopt her. But what the retired teacher didn’t know was that doing so would one day save her life . . .

Come on! Mama needs us! Becky Jo seemed to yelp

“I’m going to call you Becky Jo,” Tracy decided as they drove to their family’s Morristown, Arizona, ranch.

Soon, Butch was calling, “Hop in, girl,” whenever he fi red up his ATV, and Becky Jo would leap up beside him. The rambunctious Australian shepherdborder collie mix would trot alongside Tracy, too, whenever she trained horses.

One morning, Tracy saddled up her fi lly, Cowgirl.

“Wait for us!” Tracy laughed as always- eager Becky Jo, now four, meandered ahead.

The trio had nearly reached their usual turnaround spot when suddenly . . .

“No!” Tracy screamed as Cowgirl was somehow spooked, rearing back. With her foot caught in the stirrup, Tracy fell and was dragged along as Cowgirl bolted off the trail, her head striking rocks again and again.

“Help!” Tracy called weakly for a quarter mile until the stirrup fi nally snapped and she tumbled into a heap, barely

cons c ious and bleeding. But where she lay, nobody could hear her.

Becky Jo, however, had run alongside her mama the entire time. Please get up, she beckoned, licking Tracy’s face as Cowgirl ran off.

When all Tracy did was moan in pain, Becky Jo knew: Mama needs help! And at full speed, she ran all the way back to their house.

At home, Butch was doing chores when he spotted Becky Jo racing toward him.

Tracy must be right behind, he thought. But Becky Jo didn’t head to her water bowl as usual. Instead, she barked furiously, dashing back and forth a few dozen yards along the trail until Butch realized: Something is wrong!

As he fired up his ATV, Becky Jo raced over—but this time, instead of hopping in, she gave several sharp barks, turned, then dashed back to the trail.

Come on! Mama needs us! she seemed to yelp as she led Butch up the trail.

When Butch reached the turnaround, he headed left—but Becky Jo barked again, blocking his way, and sprinting right.

“I’m right behind you,” Butch called, and minutes later . . .

“Tracy!” he cried when he spotted his wife lying in a pool of blood.

Crouching over Tracy, Becky Jo peered up at Butch as if to say: You have to help her!

From his cellphone, Butch called 911—and within minutes, Tracy was being airlifted to the hospital.

There, it was discovered Tracy had suffered a broken skull, a scalp injury that took 100 staples and stitches to mend, and the orbital bone around her eye was crushed.

“Another five minutes, and she would have bled to death,” the doctor told Butch, who thanked his lucky stars that Becky Jo had been there and led him to Tracy, who was in a spot he never would have known to search. Soon, Tracy was back home, able to recover thanks to Becky Jo—who was recently inducted into the 2017 Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

“We all love our animals and think they’re special—but Becky Jo went above and beyond. I’m alive because of her!” Tracy beams. “Of course, I knew the moment I first held her: She is one special dog!”

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. Josh Billings