California (USA) - For five days, two small dogs were spotted running along the railroad tracks together. They never left each other's side and seemed to be one heart and one soul. Then something tragic happened.

When Suzette Hall was informed about the two strays, she knew immediately that she had to do something. She set off as quickly as possible to help the abandoned animals.

But when she arrived on the scene, her heart suddenly sank.

There was actually a small dog sitting next to a train - and howling to herself.

"I knew straight away that something was wrong," Hall wrote on Facebook. After all, the dog was all alone. Then the animal rescuer followed the four-legged friend's gaze and could hardly believe her eyes: The other dog was lying in the street.

She quickly set up a small cage and made her way to the injured animal: "I was so scared, but when I approached him, he lifted his head."

Relief spread through Hall. Nevertheless, she knew she had to act quickly. She was certain that the stray had been hit by a car.

"I carefully picked him up and gently placed him on my passenger seat." And then she noticed that in the meantime, the little dog had deliberately sat down in the cage that Hall had set up earlier.

The American was very touched: "She wanted to be safe with her friend. She had called for help for him."

She immediately took her new protégé to the vet. There, the injured dog was given painkillers and has been treated ever since, in the hope that he will soon be back in top shape.

Hall's heart is simply heavy with the whole story: "There is no other explanation for how they got there, except that they were abandoned," she wrote on Facebook. "My heart breaks because I don't know how long he's been there and how long she's been calling for help for him."