Introducing Duke, a four-year-old Golden Retriever who enjoys being outside with his family.
Duke really enjoys hiking, but on a recent excursion in Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains, the 100-pound dog became stranded on a treacherous trail and required assistance from a few compassionate rescuers to escape danger.
When the trail the dog and his mother were traveling changed into jagged pebbles, the 100-pound dog sliced his paws. Duke’s mother attempted to bring Duke to safety on her own, but the tiny trail had a steep drop-off and the ground was still too rocky for her to walk on. She then made a help call to North Shore Rescue.
Air operations coordinator Tim Blown and the rest of his team flew a chopper to the location and arrived within minutes.
We were able to land not too far away, get out of the helicopter, and walk to the destination, according to Blown.
The North Shore Rescue team has saved a few dogs in the past, even though they are more accustomed to saving people from the mountains.
One of our team members then hiked the puppy back to the aircraft after we secured him in a rescue harness, according to Blown.
Despite weighing more than 100 pounds and suffering from paw injuries, Duke remained calm during the entire rescue. In reality, he was glad to be rescued and taken to safety.
You’d assume a large dog may become upset while being picked up and carried, Blown said. But he appeared to be content once we hoisted him into the chopper and dropped him off.
The chopper was subsequently removed from the precarious top by the North Shore Rescue crew, who also transported Duke and his humans back to the ground without incident.
After landing, Duke was immediately taken to a nearby animal hospital where he received urgent attention for his paws.
Duke is recovering as a result of the timely action of North Shore Rescue. The veterinarian predicts that his paws will be totally recovered in just a few weeks, allowing him to rejoin his parents on dog-safe pathways.
