Stories of rescue and survival are always worthy to be heard. They bring a lesson in life and a reminder that there is still good in this world.
One incredible rescue story led to an unlikely friendship between a deaf woman and a dog.
21-year-old Amelia Milling, a deaf student, went on a three-day solo hike through Alaska and was already four miles into her hike across Crow Pass Trail in Chugach State Park, nearly 30 miles outside of Anchorage, when the unthinkable happened.
She slipped and fell around 300 feet and hit a boulder beneath, then fell for about 300 to 400 feet more. Thankfully, Alaskan State Troopers found her and rescued her all thanks to a Husky who was there to save the day.
When Amelia fell, she immediately saw a white figure coming in her direction. It was a white Husky.
“That’s when I first saw Nanook and first I thought he was a wolf,” Amelia shared in an interview with ABC News. “Then I saw the little collar and realized he was there to help me.”
Nanook is a white husky trained to guide hikers on the trail. When the dog saw the woman, he promptly came to her aid.
Apparently, Amelia had to camp out overnight while waiting for rescue.
All the while, Nanook stayed by her side.
“When I opened up the tent, he was ready to go. He was just right there and that helped me to have some motivation to keeping going,” she said.
In the morning, she tried to cross a river within 24 hours from when she first fell. However, the current was so strong that it dragged her, but she would’ve been dragged further if not for Nanook’s quick response. The dog pulled Amelia back to safety.
“Nookie came and grabbed the shoulder strap of my backpack and actually pulled it out,” the student recalled.
Rescuers finally got alerted of Amelia’s location when she finally was back on land and was able to turn her SPOT Beacon on.
Alaska State Troopers came to help her and saw that she was with the incredible dog. Alaska State Trooper Lt. Eric Olsen was amazed at how the husky assisted the student and stayed with her until she was finally found by responders.
“When I realized I had a real-life hero dog I called up the owner and he said, ‘No way,'” Eric recounted.
The troopers found out who Nanook’s owner was through the address and phone number indicated on his tag.
Nanook was brought home in Girdwood where his owner, Scott Swift, welcomed him back.
Scott shared that the dog always loved walking down the trail and approaching hikers. In fact, this is not the first time that the 7-year-old dog has saved a person from danger.
“There was one other girl about 6 years old — he saved [her] when she fell in the river,” Scott shared, recalling an incident near the Crow Pass Trail about a couple of years ago.
Find out more about this incredible story by watching the video below!
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