Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008
First, dog needs rescue, then her owner
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Photo courtesy of Sam Therres
Snohomish County Search and Rescue volunteers help Hailey, a chocolate Labrador retriever that fell off Stujack Pass on Friday.
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DARRINGTON -- Hiking near Stujack Pass last week, Sam Therres watched in horror as one of his companions tumbled off the trail.
Early Friday afternoon, high on Mount Pugh, Hailey, a 4-year-old Labrador, wandered off and then slid down a steep snow slope.
"I turned around and my dog was already half way down. I truly thought I was watching her fall to her death," Therres said. "It was truly the worst thing I ever saw in my life."
Hailey, a 100-pound, chocolate Labrador retriever, tumbled and rolled down a nearly 500-foot steep cliff.
It wasn't until she looked up from near the bottom that Therres knew she had survived.
Without thinking, Therres went down after the injured dog.
Suddenly, two lives were in danger.
Hailey had a broken leg and Therres couldn't climb back to the trail carrying her weight.
"I kind of got myself in trouble getting down the slope to get her," the 29-year-old Everett man said. "I put myself in a bad situation for the love of my dog. Thank God search and rescue could get us out of there."
It's the kind of wilderness situation that Snohomish County Search and Rescue officials fear, Snohomish County sheriff's Sgt. Danny Wikstrom said.
He said he discourages people from bringing pets into remote backcountry areas.
When problems do occur, search and rescue resources can't always be deployed to help. Officials are reluctant to risk people's lives to save a pet, he said.
"If anything happens to the animals, there's virtually no resource to assist getting that animal out," said Darrington Fire Chief Dennis Fenstermaker, who helped with the rescue. "It's probably going to die. It's really the only option you have."
On Friday afternoon, with Therres and Hailey stuck at the bottom of a snow cliff at nearly 5,700 feet elevation, the call for help went out. Search and rescue teams started up the 5-mile trial climbing nearly 4,000 feet to the pass.
The first team reached the pass around 10 p.m. and decided to mount the rescue attempt at first light.
Therres built a fire and tried to comfort Hailey.
"It was a long, cold, restless night," he said.
As the sun rose on what would become a blistering hot day, about 20 rescuers set up a pulley system, used ice axes, crampons and a makeshift sling to haul Hailey to the trail.
They put her in a stretcher that included a wheel attachment and managed to get her down the long, steep wilderness trail, Wikstrom said.
Despite Hailey's injuries, she wagged her tail the whole way down, Therres said.
"She showed nothing but love and compassion for the people helping her," he said.
The big brown dog looked a bit like a small bear being led down the trail on a stretcher, rescuers said.
On Monday, Hailey underwent three-hour surgery. Veterinarians used copper wire and screws to mend her broken leg, Therres said.
She'll likely be in a splint for a month and then a soft cast several weeks more. The prognosis is that she'll be back to normal in a few months, he said.
As for climbing steep trail with her again? Therres said Hailey likely will stick to walks along river banks and her other passion.
"She'll be a big swimmer from here on out," he said.
Now, he said it's hard to express just how thankful he is to the volunteers who gave up their time and effort on Mount Pugh.
"I owe them a huge debt," he said. "I plan to repay it anyway I can."
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com
Early Friday afternoon, high on Mount Pugh, Hailey, a 4-year-old Labrador, wandered off and then slid down a steep snow slope.
"I turned around and my dog was already half way down. I truly thought I was watching her fall to her death," Therres said. "It was truly the worst thing I ever saw in my life."
Hailey, a 100-pound, chocolate Labrador retriever, tumbled and rolled down a nearly 500-foot steep cliff.
It wasn't until she looked up from near the bottom that Therres knew she had survived.
Without thinking, Therres went down after the injured dog.
Suddenly, two lives were in danger.
Hailey had a broken leg and Therres couldn't climb back to the trail carrying her weight.
"I kind of got myself in trouble getting down the slope to get her," the 29-year-old Everett man said. "I put myself in a bad situation for the love of my dog. Thank God search and rescue could get us out of there."
It's the kind of wilderness situation that Snohomish County Search and Rescue officials fear, Snohomish County sheriff's Sgt. Danny Wikstrom said.
He said he discourages people from bringing pets into remote backcountry areas.
When problems do occur, search and rescue resources can't always be deployed to help. Officials are reluctant to risk people's lives to save a pet, he said.
"If anything happens to the animals, there's virtually no resource to assist getting that animal out," said Darrington Fire Chief Dennis Fenstermaker, who helped with the rescue. "It's probably going to die. It's really the only option you have."
On Friday afternoon, with Therres and Hailey stuck at the bottom of a snow cliff at nearly 5,700 feet elevation, the call for help went out. Search and rescue teams started up the 5-mile trial climbing nearly 4,000 feet to the pass.
The first team reached the pass around 10 p.m. and decided to mount the rescue attempt at first light.
Therres built a fire and tried to comfort Hailey.
"It was a long, cold, restless night," he said.
As the sun rose on what would become a blistering hot day, about 20 rescuers set up a pulley system, used ice axes, crampons and a makeshift sling to haul Hailey to the trail.
They put her in a stretcher that included a wheel attachment and managed to get her down the long, steep wilderness trail, Wikstrom said.
Despite Hailey's injuries, she wagged her tail the whole way down, Therres said.
"She showed nothing but love and compassion for the people helping her," he said.
The big brown dog looked a bit like a small bear being led down the trail on a stretcher, rescuers said.
On Monday, Hailey underwent three-hour surgery. Veterinarians used copper wire and screws to mend her broken leg, Therres said.
She'll likely be in a splint for a month and then a soft cast several weeks more. The prognosis is that she'll be back to normal in a few months, he said.
As for climbing steep trail with her again? Therres said Hailey likely will stick to walks along river banks and her other passion.
"She'll be a big swimmer from here on out," he said.
Now, he said it's hard to express just how thankful he is to the volunteers who gave up their time and effort on Mount Pugh.
"I owe them a huge debt," he said. "I plan to repay it anyway I can."
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com
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