Joe Markovitch often takes his border collie to Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada, where he loves to fetch big sticks in the harbor. But on Thursday the 12 year-old dog chased a stick that turned out to be a little too big.

"Because he grabbed it at one end, the current wouldn't allow him to turn,"  Markovitch told Global News, "so he just kept swimming out to sea."

He wasn't letting go of the stick, so Markovitch dove in and started swimming toward him.

That's when an unknown black labrador passed him, speeding out to lend a paw.

The Lab swam out, grabbed the other end of the stick, turned the canine around, and helped him paddle the five-foot branch back to shore.

(READ the story from Global News)