Recently in New Jersey, a loyal black labrador retriever is being praised as a hero after staying with his favorite little human, a 4-year-old boy who’d wandered off in the woods and gotten lost.

New Jersey State Police shared about the incident on Facebook, explaining that the young child had wandered away from home with his dog. The boy had been missing for more than an hour when his mom frantically called the police for help.

In the accompanying video the police shared of the rescue, you can see people walking around and searching for the child when they suddenly hear a bark in the distance.

Trooper Ian Emmi and the child’s mother take off running toward the bark and find the dog and the missing 4-year-old a little less than half a mile from his house.

The boy was frantic and had somehow lost his shoe but was otherwise in fine condition. If it hadn’t been for the barking dog, who knows how much longer the young boy would’ve remained lost in the woods!

As they say, dogs really are man’s best friend.

You can watch the rescue unfold in the video below: