Four years ago, the two children of a farmer in Uttar Pradesh adopted a street dog and decided to name him 'Jacky'. Little did they know that the same Jacky would save their father's life one day, and sacrifice its own life in the process.

Last Friday night, while the farmer Gurdev Singh was fast asleep outside his house, a tiger from the nearby Dudhwa National Park approached the sleeping man. Jacky, who was also asleep nearby, sensed the tiger's presence and tried to wake up Singh and raise alarm, reported The Times of India. When the tiger attempted to attack the farmer, Jacky flung himself at the big cat, giving Singh enough time to find a stick and raise alarm.

While the farmer escaped unscathed, the tiger dragged the dog away, and the canine's body was later found by villagers some distance away. "Jacky was a part of our family," Singh told TOI, adding that his children were inconsolable and the family was grieving the death of the heroic dog. "Jacky returned the favour of a few chapatis a day by giving up its life. I wish humans could learn from it how to love others and show devotion."