Something that happened to a Minnesotan family turned their lives completely upside down, and not in a good way.

Two years ago, they adopted a pit bull/pit mix named Joy from a shelter. He was well-liked by everyone in the family, but their two children, Emilly, 6, and Jonas, 10, got along the best.

The children and dog were together all the time. They spent the day playing, going for walks, and sharing a bed at night.

One evening, Jonas informed his family that he planned to take a bath before returning home.

The remaining family members remained in the backyard. The mother of the child briefly heard some odd noises.

When she entered the house, she realized the sounds were coming from upstairs.

She could hear the family dog Joy barking as she climbed the stairs.

When the woman entered the bathroom, Jonas was in the bathtub dozing off with his feet hanging over the edge. Joy pulled on his hands or hair in an effort to free him.

Jonas suffered a heart attack and collapsed in the bathtub.

Joy slammed the bathroom door open and rushed inside to assist Jonas in getting out of the tub because she sensed something wasn’t right.

When the mother first noticed Jonas having trouble breathing and Joy pulling on him, she was terrified.

She quickly realized that the dog was only attempting to prevent him from drowning in the bathtub.

The paramedics quickly arrived after the woman immediately dialed 911. By transporting Jonas to the hospital, the medical professionals were able to save his life.

Jonas is still alive today because of joy.

This shows once more how wonderful dogs are and how much they love their owners.