The Keswick Mountain Rescue Team came to the aid of a Lake District walker and his exhausted canine companion.
A group of rescuers and a search dog set off on the Cumbria Way after an emergency call from a man who had become stranded on the fells between Keswick to Caldbeck last week (12 September).
The man’s nine-year-old dog had become too tired to walk any further and so the pair had retreated to a nearby hut to seek refuge from the cold.
The six-strong rescue team armed themselves with a dog stretcher and were ready to tackle a large canine, with visions of a Great Dane or Rottweiler awaiting them.
The pair sought refuge in a hut until help arrived. Credit: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team
However, when they reached the Lingy Hut, which is used by walkers for shelter, they were relieved to find ‘a small and easily portable, cold, shivering terrier’.
‘It had been a long wet day for them and the dog just refused to carry on,’ said a spokesman for the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, who were dispatched at 6.20pm.
‘They had just gone past Lingy Hut en route towards High Pike in the Caldbeck Fells.
A search dog joined the six-man rescue effort. Credit: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team
‘The man attempted to carry to dog, but it was too tiring and they were both getting cold so he returned to Lingy Hut after calling 999 and asking for mountain rescue help.
‘A small team climbed up to the hut where they found the man and his dog.
The rescue operation took just over two hours. Credit: Keswick Mountain Rescue Team
‘With visions of Great Danes and Rottweilers and the possibility of having to call more team members to stretcher the dog off, the team were pleased to find a small and easily portable, cold, shivering terrier.’
The exhausted grey and white dog was carried back to safety alongside his weary owner, before being driven to their accommodation in Caldbeck.
It took the team just over two hours to complete the rescue operation.
The Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was founded in 1947 and comprises of around 50 volunteers who live in and around Keswick.
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