London (AFP) – Sixteen rescuers were called in to save a St. Bernard dog stranded on an English mountain, in an embarrassing episode for the member of a breed more famous for rescuing affected humans from the icy dangers of the Upper Alps.
The dog named Daisy collapsed as she descended from the summit of Scafell Pike in northwest England with her owners, the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, according to a statement on its website on Sunday.
After showing signs of leg pain, he sat down and refused to get up, he said, and as dusk was fast approaching, local police asked rescuers for help.
Upon reaching the affected dog, the team “introduced Daisy carefully … and with the help of a treat or two members were able to assess her condition and administer pain relief.”
Maneuvering the 55-kilogram (120-pound) dog on a stretcher to get her off the hill required “many” treats, they added.
“From there, aside from the odd little adjustment, it was discovered that evacuation is not much different than normal adult evacuation.”
Video of the five-hour evacuation showed the team fording a river and dragging the stretcher over a fence.
After the team reached the foot of the hill, a relieved Daisy stood up again and even managed a slight shy movement of her tail.
“Apparently she feels a little guilty and a little embarrassed for disappointing the image of her cousins bouncing off the Alpine snows,” rescuers said.
First bred as pioneers and rescue dogs by monks living in the San Bernardo Pass between Switzerland and Italy, San Bernardo dogs have been credited with rescuing hundreds of people over the centuries.
