Rescue team scrambled to carry weary dog down mountain
Canine casualty taken off England’s highest peak on stretcher after refusing to walk any further
SOME 13 “very busy” volunteers were called to rescue a Japanese mountain dog too tired to descend Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak, on Saturday.
The akita, named Rocky, was “injured and exhausted” with “cut paws” when it was stretchered down.
Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, who climbed towards the Esk Hause pass in the Lake District to retrieve the animal, said: “It was quite a distance from the nearest road and the dog weighed 33kg – quite a load to carry.”
They met the animal and its owners at Grains Gill, and Rocky was carried down the 3,209ft (978m) pike.
The team said that the owners had requested support while on a return walk to Langdale. Cumbria Police had allocated the job to the Wasdale team but it was then reassigned to Langdale Ambleside, after the Phonefind location system identified that the dog was on their side of Esk Hause.
“Having already had a very busy day with multiple callouts, the Langdale Ambleside team passed it to Keswick as it was on the edge of our patch,” the statement said.
“Keswick team approached from Seathwaite Farm and climbed towards Esk Hause via Grains Gill. Meantime, the casualty owners, who were starting to feel the cold, were encouraged to try to descend towards the Keswick team.
“The Keswick team met the casualty and owners high up Grains Gill. The casualty was made comfortable in a ‘cas bag’ on the stretcher and sledged/carried back to Seathwaite Farm.
“Despite being quite a large dog it was a joy to carry such a relatively lightweight casualty.
“The casualty remained cool, calm and positively regal throughout.” Both the dog and its owners were given a lift to Keswick Team Base where other members of their party collected them. The team’s 42nd mission this year took four hours and 18 minutes.
A spokesman said that dog rescues were far less common than human rescues. Adult male akitas, from the mountains of Japan, weigh 32kg to 39kg.
The National Trust website states: “Well-behaved dogs are welcome at Scafell Pike, and many will enjoy a long day out climbing as much as their humans. But do bear in mind that it is a long and tiring day across rocky terrain so climbing Scafell Pike is only suitable for dogs used to long walks in the fells.
“If your dog isn’t used to the fells then it’s perhaps worth trying a few lower walks before trying Scafell Pike.”
Hiking is tiring business. This is assuredly what a certain dog felt on Saturday when its masters cajoled it to climb the Lake District’s Scafell Pike, at 3,209 ft England’s highest peak. The 5st 3lb canine was so overcome by exhaustion after contemplating its own feat that it refused to take another step. Some 13 rescue volunteers scrambled to stretcher the pooch down. According to the team the dog remained “cool, calm and positively regal” throughout, perhaps not something that can be said of all humans in a similar predicament.