While it may be tempting to take our dogs on adventures with us, it also comes with some dangers.
The successful rescue of a dog from an avalanche on Berthoud Pass is a clear reminder to be careful when taking our dogs on adventures with us.
Robert White captured the rescue effort on his GoPro, and has since uploaded the footage to YouTube.
In the description for the video, he describes how he and his friend witnessed an avalanche occur on the 26th of December near Berthoud Pass.
A dog had erroneously wandered off into the path of an avalanche and was washed over the cliffs.
The video starts with White expressing his despair at the dog’s chances of survival, with his friend agreeing.
However, as the friend reaches his ski poles, he turns back to White and exclaims that he has located the dog.
The dog’s nose was poking out from underneath the snow.
The pair begins to dig out the buried canine. With the cry of ‘he’s alive’, a stranger joins the pair and assists them in digging.
With the help of the three humans, the dog frees itself from the snow and races back to its owner.
Ethan Greene, the Director of Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), said that the video highlights the solemnity of avalanche rescues. Greene said that people need to prevent themselves from being caught by avalanches, including their pets.
While the rescue was a great outcome, the chances of survival drops significantly once they are buried into the snow. So it is best to avoid avalanches altogether rather than hoping for a successful rescue.
When deciding to take your dog into potential avalanche locations, Greene urged the owners to seriously reconsider.
This is because animals don’t understand the risks involved in those terrains and thus are unable to make their own decisions. They rely on their human owners to protect them.
It’s possible for an animal, including dogs, to trigger an avalanche.
Remember that anything can happen
It’s possible for an animal, including dogs, to trigger an avalanche. Thus, you should always keep a watchful eye on your pet in order to keep both yourself and your pets safe.
However, one thing that CAIC advises when taking your pet into the backcountry is to not let your dog wear a rescue receiver. This is because once the receiver is underneath the snow, it’s impossible to tell if the wearer is a human or an animal.
This becomes even more complicated if there are multiple people trapped underneath the avalanche. The rescuers won’t be able to tell if they’re looking for a pet or one of your friends.
And while the majority of pet owners consider their pets as one of their own, they too would probably rather rescue a human before another animal.
These types of rescue videos showcase what an actual avalanche rescue is like. So it’s important for the viewers to take precautions and avoid unnecessary risks when travelling in avalanche prone areas in the backcountry.
You should also be prepared to conduct an avalanche rescue as well, says Greene.
Familiarise yourself with the rescue equipment ahead of time and have a contingency plan in place in case an avalanche. You definitely don’t want to come up with solutions or figuring out how to use the equipment in an emergency.
You can watch the video of Robert White’s rescue below. Warning: contains obscene language.
