The 100-pound dog is recovering now after his injuries during a hiking trail
Meet Duke — a four-year-old Golden Retriever who loves to spend time outdoors with his family. Duke especially loves going on hikes. However, during a recent trek through Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains, the 100-pound dog was stuck on a difficult trail. He needed the help of a few kind rescuers to get him out of trouble.
The 100-pound dog cut his paws when the trail he and his mom were hiking turned into sharp rocks. Duke’s mom tried to carry him to safety herself. Unfortunately, the terrain beneath her feet was still too rough to walk on and the narrow trail had a steep drop-off. So she called North Shore Rescue for help.
Within minutes, air operations coordinator Tim Blown and the rest of his team responded to the scene via helicopter.
“We were able to land not that far away, exit the helicopter, and hike down to the location,” Blown said.
The North Shore Rescue team used to save humans on the mountain range. They’ve rescued a few dogs in the past. So, they knew just what to do.
“We put him in a rescue harness and then one of our members hiked the dog back to the helicopter,” Blown said.
Duke was over 100 pounds and in pain from his paw injuries, but he stayed calm during the entire rescue. He felt pleased that his rescuers picked him up.
“You would think that [when] picking up a big dog and carrying them, they might get upset,” Blown said. “But when we got him into the helicopter and put him down there, he looked pretty happy.”
The North Shore Rescue team then lifted the helicopter off the dangerous peak and brought Duke and his humans safely to the ground again.
Duke’s humans then brought him to a local vet clinic immediately after landing, where he received emergency care for his paws.
Thanks to North Shore Rescue’s quick response, Duke is on the mend. According to the vet, his paws will be healthy again in just a few weeks. It means he’ll be able to explore dog-safe trails with his parents again soon.
