Role reversal as Saint-Bernard dog needs rescue after fall in Pyr茅n茅es
The 75kg dog, whose breed is well known for its mountain rescue skills, needed evacuating on a stretcher after it fell 10m from a steep path
The dog, named O鈥檔eill, luckily recovered quickly from his fall
PGHM Ari猫ge / Facebook
Saint-Bernard mountain dogs are known for their rescue skills, but one needed rescuing itself last week after the 75-kilo animal suffered a 10m fall.
The dog, named O鈥檔eill, fell on July 11 in the mountains of Ari猫ge, southern France and needed saving by the PGHM mountain rescue services (peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne).
The dog had been walking with his owner, but fell from a very steep path. Having injured his paws, the animal could not get up or continue walking.
His owner called the PGHM, which came to the dog鈥檚 aid and evacuated him from the mountain on a stretcher. The animal was then given care by a vet.
Luckily, the dog鈥檚 injuries were only superficial and he began to recover quickly.
O鈥檔eill鈥檚 owner on the PGHM : 鈥淢y O鈥檔eill is strong; nothing broken, no internal injuries. He is starting to walk again, his appetite has returned. Just a few injuries, bruises, sprains. We are watching over him.
鈥淭hanks to this star who shone on Sunday, and thanks again to the Peloton de la Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne de l'Ari猫ge.鈥�
The PGHM took the opportunity to remind dog owners to take great care in mountain areas and on rocky trails and said that dogs are often banned from some nature reserves and national parks, and must always be kept on a lead near other animals.
Chief PGHM officer J茅r么me Bourri猫res said: 鈥淭his incident must remain an exception. Usually, we don鈥檛 do animal rescues. In this case, we intervened to help the owner, so that he wouldn鈥檛 put himself in danger to go and rescue his dog.鈥�
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