Photo:Michael Piesniewski
Michael Piesniewski
For one New Hampshire dog, a day hiking with his humans turned into a strenuous rescue mission.Earlier this month, a pooch named Bruno and his owners were hiking Mount Jefferson, a popular hiking destination in New Hampshire, when the dog injured his paws on the “hot” and “jagged” terrain and was unable to move forward, according toNew England Cable News(NECN).
“Once his paws got torn up he basically said, ‘Hey, I’m done walking, I’m done moving, I’ve had enough,’ " Zippy, one of the volunteers, told NECN. “And he just sat down and refused to move any further.“Zippy, along with other rescuers, were alerted to the incident after seeing an online post from Bruno’s owners. Zippy stated that the hikers were “fairly dehydrated” when approached, as they had since run out of food and water and “obviously weren’t planning to spend the night on the side of the mountain right on the trail,” per NECN.
Zippy reported that some of the harness handles began to rip off due to the dog’s weight, the tough terrain and the awkward angles the rescuers had to hold the gear at. “I picked him up and put him on my back with the harness and we made it like that, slowly but surely made it across, until we got to the Cap’s Ridge junction, when it got a little wider,” he said, according to NECN.
Rescuer Michael Piesniewski and Bruno.Michael Piesniewski
Despite the rocky ride, Bruno was in “good spirits” during the mission and is currently “on the path to recovery.”
Despite the rocky ride, Bruno was in “good spirits” during the mission.Michael Piesniewski
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Mount Jefferson is thethird tallestpeak in New Hampshire. With a rising amount of hiking injuries and deaths across the United States this summer, due to factors like falls and extreme heat, animal officials are also warning of the dangers of attempting these paths with pets.
According to Mokrzecki, dog rescues increase during warmer months due to out-of-state hikers. Pet injury can be avoided with the right preparation, such as packing special harnesses and boots.“A lot of these people that bring their dogs, [the] dogs are not conditioned to the mountains of New Hampshire,” she said.
source: people.com
