“Sometimes in the winter you’ll see more with critters falling through the ice,” she said. “It ebbs and it flows.”
Kato was super enthusiastic about the day. He was going to take a beautiful outdoor hike and enjoy being active and in nature.
But there was just one problem.
Kato wasn’t as young as he used to be. And like humans, our pets also become less active and athletic when we age.
Source:
Evergreen Fire Rescue
Still Kato, a 5-year-old 120 pound Great Pyrenees dog, still ventured out into the Colorado wilderness to try and relive his more youthful years.
Unfortunately, Kato wasn’t able to make it.
He and his humans were about a mile from the trailhead when Kato was too tired to continue. Nothing his humans did would make Kato move.
Source:
Evergreen Fire Rescue
And his humans were in no condition to carry a 120-pound dog through the wilderness. Thankfully, Kato’s friends knew exactly what to do.
They called the Evergreen Fire Rescue.
And they were happy to answer the call. A group of volunteers arrived shortly after they received the call. They came equipped with a stretcher to carry the large dog out of the trail. Evergreen Fire Rescue ended up posting photos of Kato’s rescue online. And it’s a good thing he doesn’t use social media because he’d probably be pretty embarrassed.
Source:
Evergreen Fire Rescue
“Today’s EFR had a “patient” on the Maxwell Falls trail who was exhausted and most likely dehydrated. About 5 1/2 years old, 120lbs and a fluffy Great Pyrenees named Kato. Good thing Kato’s humans reached out for assistance as they were about 1 mile away from the trailhead,” their Facebook post read.
It’s likely the last time Kato will be taken on such a physically challenging hike again.
“We choose to help animals,” Stacee Martin, the public information officer for Evergreen Fire Department, told 9News. “Doesn’t matter if a it’s a horse stuck in the mud, owls that fall out of the nest … this is something that the community supports.”
Source:
Evergreen Fire Rescue
They’ve just never had to rescue an out of shape dog from a hike before.
“This is the definition of a hero. Way to go Evergreen Fire Rescue,” said one Facebook commenter.
Source:
Facebook Screenshot
“Pyrs are the best dogs for families but not great for hiking! Mine did this to me while hiking Devil’s Backbone while my stepdaughter was running an adjacent trail with her school cross country team. He just sat down. Fortunately for me, after a 10 minute rest, he decided to walk the rest of the trail back to the parking lot. Autumn (with her coach) met me on the trail wondering where I was. Fortunately her coach was understanding,” said another.
Looks like Kato isn’t the only Great Pyrenees this has happened to. So if you have one, you might want to think twice before going on a strenuous hike.
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By D.G. Sciortino
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D.G. is a contributing writer in Shareably. She's based in Connecticut and can be reached at [email protected].