Dog Reunited With Family After Spending Christmas Lost In The Mountains
Timothy Roberts
One of the most devastating things that can happen to a pet owner is for their beloved animal to go missing. It happens from time to time, maybe because a door is left open or just because the dog felt like wandering.
Nala was just such a dog, who was hiking with her family on Christmas Eve. They were in the area of Waterfall Canyon in Utah when Nala wandered off.
Photo: Unfortunately, Nala was not going to have an easy time of it because there were freezing cold temperatures and treacherous terrain that made it difficult for anyone to be out there. The father searched for his dog for quite some time but eventually had to go home and hope for the best.
According to a Facebook post by Weber County Sheriff Search and Rescue, he had searched for a long time and was not able to recover her before it got dark. In other words, Nala would have to spend the night on the mountain.
Photo: We can only imagine how difficult it was for the family that evening. Would their dog be able to make it through the freezing cold temperatures? What they be able to get her back home again?
Weber County Sheriff Search and Rescue explained in their Facebook post that it wasn't long after they got off on Christmas morning that the owner started searching for the dog again. Around 1 PM, family members were getting nervous because even the rescuer had lost contact with them. They contacted the authorities.
As it turns out, Nala's dad was just out of range for the cell phone but finally, he answered one of their calls. He had found the dog above a waterfall but because of the terrain and the ice, he couldn't get her down.
Photo: The Weber County Sheriff Search and Rescue said: "Because the only way to reach the area of the dog was via technical climbing given the terrain and weather, our team responded."
Two expert climbers and the drone were able to reach the dog but she was still elusive. They said that she was nervous about her rescuers being around but they continued to show patience, and she eventually came to them to get cared for.
The big break came when a rescuer pulled out some food. It wasn't long before they had the dog and were coming down the mountain again. Nala had a few minor injuries but she hiked with the rescuers back to the bottom.
Now, Nala is back home with her family, right where she belongs.
