The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team was called out for a dehydrated hiker and his 120-pound yellow Labrador, who were stuck on Utah’s Mount Olympus in 100-degree heat.
The dog, named Leo, was overheating and unable to continue walking. He then laid down and could no longer move.
His owner used all the water that he had left to try and hydrate him and cool him down, but his condition did not improve.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue/Facebook
With time running out, he contacted the search and rescue team for immediate assistance.
They sent two teams up the mountain, equipped with rescue gear to get the heavy dog down, as well as plenty of water to give him.
The rescuers hiked up the mountain in the blistering sun and finally reached the man and his dog.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue/Facebook
Once they were up there, they gave them both water, and tried to cool Leo off by pouring water on him and fanning him.
Thankfully, he was able to drink nearly five liters of water, which was a good sign.
The sun finally went away and the hot weather cooled down a bit after a thunderstorm strolled in as they were in the middle of their rescue.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue/Facebook
Leo was too weak to walk on his own, so they loaded him into a litter and carefully brought him down the mountain, a process that took several hours.
By the time they got down the mountain, it was nearly 10:30 at night, and a Unified Police Officer rushed Leo to the vet immediately.
Thankfully, the hiker was in good condition and unharmed aside from being very thirsty.
Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue/Facebook
Leo was happy and relieved to get the help he needed, and thankfully, with help from the vets, he was able to pull through!
Leo has overcome his heat exhaustion and his kidney function is returning back to normal. The vet is trying to get him to walk around more on his own so he can go back home with his family.
“Remember your 4 legged friend doesn’t regulate heat as well as you do,” Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue wrote on Facebook. “If you’re going to hike with your doggy leave early, or wait a few more months until it cools off.”
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