Quick-Acting Corgi Runs to Get Help After Owner Slips and Falls: ‘Waldo Did Pass the Lassie Test’

A smart-thinking corgi saved the day after running to get help for his owner after she fell and hurt herself.

Just after Christmas on Dec. 28, Kitchener, Ontario, resident Jess Parker was taking her usual morning walk with her 9-year-old dog, Waldo, on a path behind her home, per CTV News and CityNews Kitchener. Melting snow and mud had made the path slippery, and Parker suddenly took a hard fall.

She immediately knew the situation was not good. “My body went, and my right leg didn’t. I heard a giant crack, and I knew that something was wrong,” she recalled to CTV News. “My foot was facing completely east, and my body was facing north. So, it was very gruesome.”

As it turned out, she had broken her foot in the fall, and since she didn’t bring her cell phone on the walk, she had no way to call anyone for help. She began shouting but feared no one would hear her due to the path being set far back from the main road.

But she had her own four-legged superhero right by her side all along. “Waldo immediately jumps to action. He kisses me on the face and then runs away,” Parker recounted to CTV News.

As she laid on her back, in pain, she watched the Corgi turn into a real-life Lassie, getting the attention of a nearby stranger. “I see him out in the distance, tugging on a stranger’s pant leg,” she told CTV News. “He starts barking and leads the guy to me. I’ve never met this guy before.”

And the heroic pup wasn’t done yet. After retrieving the man, Waldo dashed off again, this time getting the attention of Parker’s husband, Brady Parker, and landlord.

“We just came right down here, and I could see some people gathering. I could hear Jess. She sounded like she was in a lot of pain,” Brady recalled to CTV News.

Paramedics soon arrived, and Jess was taken to a local hospital. “The doctor said I got there just in time. I was losing a lot of blood to my foot, and that can be quite dangerous,” Jess noted.

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Following surgery, Jess is recovering well at home — and she now knows the lengths that her canine companion will go to protect her. “I had hoped I’d never find out, but thankfully, Waldo did pass the Lassie test,” Jess told CTV News.

“He did the exact right thing, which was incredible,” she added to CityNews Kitchener. “It’s nice to know when something happens, he’s got my back.”

Waldo was rewarded for his valiant efforts with a plate full of chopped up steak.

“Steak dinner for our hero,” Jess captioned a sweet Instagram video on Jan. 7. “Thanks for being the best doggo ever.”

While the corgi is making news for his heroic actions, he was already well-known for starring in commercials and from his presence on social media, where he boasts nearly 14,000 followers on TikTok.

Waldo’s page features videos documenting his everyday adventures, from visits to the Starbucks drive-through for a pup cup to forest walks at home in Ontario. He is also a regular at Octoberfest celebrations, even dressing up in tiny lederhosen for the occasion.