46kg Dog Rescued After Collapsing on Pennsylvania Trail

A 46-kilogram dog named Sable required a four-hour rescue operation after becoming unable to continue on a hiking trail in Pennsylvania, USA. The incident occurred on July 12th on the Golden Eagle Trail. Sable, a nine-year-old mix of Tibetan Mastiff and German Shepherd, was hiking with her owner, Kevin Matthews, when she began to pant heavily about halfway through the approximately 16-kilometer trail. Matthews, who regularly hikes long distances with Sable, even up to 32 kilometers, noticed she stopped and refused to move. After an initial attempt to let her rest and drink water, Sable struggled to walk, sitting down frequently. With no cell signal and the afternoon waning, Matthews left Sable in a secure spot, marked with stones, and ran about 3 kilometers to the nearest road to seek help. He managed to flag down a passing car, whose driver was a member of the Waterville Volunteer Fire Department. The driver alerted other responders, and a forest ranger also joined the effort. Upon reaching Sable, the rescue team, including volunteers and the ranger, carefully transported her down the mountain on a stretcher typically used for injured people. The descent, which involved carrying the stretcher by four people on wider sections and two on narrower parts, took approximately four hours due to Sable's weight and the need for frequent breaks. Matthews assisted in carrying Sable during the rescue. Volunteer firefighter Tiffany Young, who has been with the department for 30 years, described the relief upon safely bringing Sable to the bottom. Matthews, overcome with emotion, offered to pay for the volunteers' dinner as a thank you, but his offer was declined. He believes Sable may have sprained her right front paw during the hike and is monitoring her recovery, stating they will opt for less strenuous trails in the future.