When a hiker slipped and broke his ankle in the remote foothills of the Italian Alps, his loyal canine companion refused to leave his side for seven days and nights in the freezing cold. The hiker credits the mixed-breed pup for saving his life.
“He claimed that he had slipped several meters into a canal and dragged himself, albeit with a broken ankle and other traumas, as close to the creek water as possible, and that he managed to survive thanks to the company of the doggy.”
The pair spent a week in sub-zero temperatures, using a thermal blanket, leaves, and even a topographic map to protect themselves from the elements. The hiker had originally planned to camp in mountain huts and bivouacs.
He and Ash were reported missing by the hiker’s fiancée on Feb. 15 when they failed to return home on schedule.
The hiker and his loyal pup were spotted near the Tacia Fork by a CNSAS search and rescue team from the air on Feb. 18, when someone noticed the man’s thermal blanket reflecting the light of the sun. The hiker and his dog were soon located approximately 100 meters (approx. 328 feet) from there.
