Brave Hiker Saves 55-Pound Injured Dog And Carries Him Down Mountain On Her Shoulders For 6 Hours

After three hours of hiking, Tia and her 76-year-old father reached the mountain's summit. On their descent, they came across an injured dog, but its owners were nowhere in sight.

Tia said, “He was pretty beat up. He couldn’t walk.” So, Tia faced a choice: to leave the injured dog behind or take on the challenge of carrying it down the mountain.

Tia knew the dog wasn’t physically strong enough to climb down the mountain, so she chose to carry the 55-pound Springer Spaniel on her shoulders and descended down the mountain.

The descent turned into a journey, testing Tia's endurance and resilience. Navigating through snowy patches and challenging terrain, the 6-mile trek took 6.5 hours.

“We had to hike through the snow; we lost the trail at one point. It was one of the hardest things that I have done in my life,” explains Tia.

The dog's weight and the challenging journey were overwhelming for Tia. But despite the physical strain, she pressed forward with determination. She had to resort to prayer to complete the rest of the hike.

“I got underneath him to pick him up to go again and again and felt the tears coming. I said a little prayer at that point because the weight was hurting my neck, I had a really bad headache, and my legs just felt like they were going to crumble at any moment,” Tia shared.

Along the way, she felt the weight on her shoulders lift. She thought a lost hiker was assisting her. She turned around multiple times to check, but no one was there. It was then that she realized it was a divine force helping her.

As Tia completed her descent down the mountain, she stumbled upon a note revealing the backstory of the injured dog she had carried, named Boomer.

When Tia called Boomer's owners, she learned that they had unleashed him during a hike, and he ran onto a snow-covered crevasse, slipping off and falling from a one-hundred-foot cliff. Miraculously, Boomer only injured his front paw. He was scheduled for surgery to help him use that paw again.

Then, Tia was in for another surprise when Boomer's owners, who were relocating to Arizona, decided to find a new home for him.

“It pulled at my heartstrings all night long. When I woke up the next day, my first thought was, ‘That dog’s supposed to be mine,’” explains Tia.

So she reached out to the owners with a heartfelt message, expressing her desire to keep Boomer in her care.

The owners, recognizing the profound connection formed on the mountain, agreed to Tia's request. At that moment, Tia and Boomer became companions for life.

Their story is a testament to the power of compassion and the unbreakable connections forged in the face of adversity. For more amazing stories about animal rescue, click here!