(Newser) – When an ambulance in Mason County, Texas, loaded up 85-year-old rancher JR Nicholson and set off for the hospital, Nicholson's dog had no intention of being separated from his pal. As the San Angelo Standard-Times reports, the dog jumped onto the vehicle's side step. The ambulance crew didn't find out until a motorist flagged them down after 20 miles and informed them that Buddy was hitching a ride on the outside of the vehicle. They stopped, loaded the faithful dog inside, and continued on to the hospital. Happy ending: Nicholson is OK and back home with Buddy. (Read more uplifting news stories.)