Some bonds are impossible to put into words — but one unforgettable night on a Croatian mountainside captured it perfectly.
Meet North, an Alaskan malamute whose loyalty became nothing short of heroic.
Last Saturday, a young mountaineer was injured while climbing 5,600 feet up Mount Velebit, a rugged, snow-covered range along Croatia’s Adriatic coast. A rescue team of 27 battled brutal weather, icy terrain and fallen trees as they tried to reach him, according to The AP.
But the hiker wasn’t alone. His dog, North, stayed right beside him.
As temperatures plunged and darkness closed in, North curled tightly against his injured dad, refusing to budge. Hour after hour, he kept the young mountaineer warm — shielding him from the cold and never leaving his side.
“Friendship and love between man and dog know no boundaries,” Hrvatska Gorska Služba Spašavanja (HGSS) wrote on Facebook. “North passed without injuries, but his friend, a young mountaineer, was not so lucky. He curled up with him and warmed him with his body.”
Rescuers finally reached the pair around midnight and were able to get them both off the mountain the next morning. Thanks to North’s unwavering devotion, his dad survived the night and made it safely to medical care.
And even when help arrived, North refused to relax.
“[North’s] loyalty did not end with the arrival of the rescuers,” HGSS added. “He was one of us, guarding his man for 13 hours. From this example, we can all learn about caring for each other.”
Now home, North is soaking up all the well-earned treats, belly rubs and rest he can get. His dad is expected to make a full recovery.
To North, he wasn’t being a hero — just a best friend. But his steadfast love made all the difference.
