When Sandy Harris set out for a summer hike through Jones Gap State Park in South Carolina, she was simply looking forward to waterfalls, fresh air, and peace. She never imagined she’d end the day saving a life.
After miles of climbing in the sweltering 90-degree heat, Harris almost turned back. But something told her to keep going — just a little farther.
Around the next bend, a flash of tan fur caught her eye. Lying motionless in the brush was a beautiful German shepherd.
At first, Harris thought the dog might be resting. But as she stepped closer, her stomach dropped — the shepherd wasn’t moving. A deep wound on her leg told a heartbreaking story.
“She couldn’t walk,” Harris later said. “And there was no cell service where we were. I couldn’t carry a 75-pound dog down two miles of rocky trail.”
The dog’s soft brown eyes followed Harris as she knelt beside her. Harris shared some food and water and made a promise — she’d come back. Then she began the long, worried trek back to her car.
That night, Harris turned to social media, posting about the injured dog and pleading for help. Within hours, she connected with three women who were ready to act: volunteer dog tracker Luci Daley, and Marcy Dimmick and Holly Jones from Labor of Love Transport Rescue.
The next morning, the group hiked back up the steep trail, carrying a stretcher, pain meds, and food — hoping desperately the dog had survived the night.
To their relief, she had. And they weren’t the first to find her.
Two hikers, Kyle Morgan and Dillon Tatum, had come across the German shepherd — later identified as Koco — and refused to leave her side. They’d taken turns carrying her down the mountain.
“She was really timid at first and didn't want any food or water from us,” Morgan later told Jones. “Some other hikers helped us get her onto my shoulder at first, and she was absolutely perfect … I've never had a dog that would have let me do that, ever.”
Koco’s rescue team carefully splinted her leg and gave her pain medication. Jones, president of Labor of Love, told The Dodo that the dog must have been in “excruciating pain,” based on the state of her leg. “I don't know how much longer she would have even lasted,” Jones added. “I mean, she was spent.”
Despite her discomfort, Koco was a trooper. She patiently allowed the team to maneuver her onto the stretcher. Finally feeling safe, she drank some water and calmly looked ahead.
“Everybody described her as very calm, very grateful,” Jones said. “She just seemed to know that everyone was there to help.”
The 2-mile hike out of the park challenged the team with rocks, roots and a steep decline. But everyone’s priority was Koco.
The trail was steep, the air thick and hot — but no one thought about quitting.
“It was pure adrenaline,” Jones said. “All we could think was, ‘Get this dog to safety.’”
After nearly three hours of navigating rocks and roots, they reached the trailhead. Another hour later, Koco was at the vet — weak, but alive.
X-rays revealed her leg bones had been completely shattered. Despite the pain, Koco’s gentle spirit never broke. She let the vets work and wagged her tail softly when anyone spoke to her.
“She was calm, grateful — like she knew she’d been saved,” Jones said.
Koco underwent surgery and is now recovering in a loving foster home. Though she had a collar, she wasn’t microchipped — and no one ever came forward to claim her.
Her foster mom says that Koco is slowly coming out of her shell. “She’s becoming more affectionate, even playful,” she said. “She loves peanut butter, belly rubs, and rolling around on the floor.”
After surviving isolation, heat, and unimaginable pain, Koco is finally learning what safety — and love — feel like.
“She’s a miracle,” Jones said. “And we’re so lucky she held on long enough to be found.”
If you’d like to help Labor of Love Transport Rescue save more animals like Koco, you can donate through their website.
