LAKE OSWEGO -- The incessant bark of a neighborhood dachshund was the distress call that helped save a Lake Oswego woman Tuesday.

Pamela Fischer, 60, had just returned from a trip to Hawaii and wanted to take a walk with her one-and-a-half-year-old dachshund, Annie, in the neighborhood around 1 a.m.

“I was really tired, but just needed to be out, just needed that time to regroup, the stars were shining and it wasn’t very cold,” Fischer said.

 Slideshow: Rescue dachshund

That’s when she tripped over a curb and fell. Fischer said she is disabled and uses a cane to walk.

“The curb was higher than I expected, so as I fell I grabbed onto a post,” Fischer said.

But the post was not stable and she ended up hitting her head before falling to the ground.

“I thought ‘oh, do I hurt’ and laid there for quite awhile,” Fischer said.

That’s when Annie began to bark -- to the apparent annoyance of a neighbor who phoned police.

“She was making a lot of noise I kept calling for her to quiet down,” before realizing maybe the bark could bring help.

Lake Oswego officer Sgt. John Brent said he was called to the scene to find Annie in the middle of the street. He tried unsuccessfully to capture the little dog or quiet down what he called her “ferocious” bark.

But then he heard Fischer’s faint cried for help. Brent called medics to the scene who were able to treat Fischer.

Fischer was at home Wednesday and said she had some back pain, but was feeling fine.

And she was modest when asked if she considered Annie a “rescue dog.”

“She’s more like just a concerned pet,” than a hero, Fischer said.

Police also thanked Annie for her efforts.