When Dwight Guss rescued his dog Canela from a gutter in Mexico, she fit in the palms of his hands. At 7 weeks old, her eyes were barely open and she was covered in fleas and ticks.

Guss has brought back a handful of dogs from south of the border and found homes for them on Orcas. But there was something special about Canela – Spanish for cinnamon – and he knew he had to keep her.

Five years later, she was able to return the favor and save a fellow canine in need.

On Aug. 6, Salvatore Annino lost his 2-year-old bull terrier Jake while on a walk near his home on Loon Song Lane. After searching all day and into the night, he called Orcas Fire and Rescue for help the following morning.

Volunteers began a search and rescue effort, which included EMT Guss and his beloved Canela.

After smelling the bed of the lost pup, she went into the woods with Guss by her side. After just 15 minutes, she took off down a steep trail. Guss ran after her and found Canela sitting next to Jake, whose leash had become stuck on a tree root.

“She just knows what to do,” Guss said. “She led us right to the dog, who was shaking and scared. We would have walked right past the trail. He wasn’t even barking.”

Annino and his partner Peter Dennis are brand new residents of Orcas, having arrived on the island from Florida only four days before Jake went missing.

“I am so relieved. It was traumatic,” Annino said. “The entire community response has been incredible.”

Dennis says Jake has been an urban dog and is still getting accustomed to having so much freedom to run. Annino estimates he walked past the area where Jake was several times and didn’t even know he was there. He was missing for just about 24 hours. Their dog is now getting a GPS collar.

“Orcas Fire and Rescue was remarkable,” Dennis said. “They treated us like family.”