Those throngs of photographers who stake out daily in front of Jennifer Aniston’s home actually did something useful last night. When Aniston’s beloved pooch, Norman, escaped from her property and was nearly hit by a car, paparazzi managed to coax the frightened dog over to them and return him home.

Jennifer Aniston’s pup Norman got loose this weekend in Malibu — but this story has an ending a little happier than “Marley & Me.”

According to paps on the scene, Jen’s Corgi-Terrier escaped from her home and almost got hit by a car. The paparazzi ended up rescuing the dog and taking it back to her house — we’re not sure if Aniston was home when it all went down.

[From TMZ.com]

If you recall, Norman the dog was supposedly part of the reason Jennifer broke up with current boyfriend John Mayer, who reportedly doesn’t share her affection for four-legged creatures. There were even reports that John made nice with Norman as a way to win Jen back. As a pet owner, this story is easily one of my worst fears- one of my dogs gets loose and takes off for the street. My younger dog has a healthy fear of cars, but my older dog is under the impression that the street was made just for him- which is why I have to keep a constant eye on him if we’re outside and he’s off leash. One moment, he’s right next to me, and the next, he’s long gone. It was nice that these photogs took a break from harassing celebrities to make sure Norman got home safely, rather than letting an unhappy story unfold.

Here’s Jennifer on the set of “30 Rock” in September. Images thanks to Splash.