Dog Rescued From California Mountains

A dog that was separated from its owners last year after a wildfire caused evacuations in the Northern California mountains was discovered after a backcountry skier noticed the dog in thick snow last month, spurring a massive rescue effort.

According to a Facebook post by Tahoe PAWS and TLC 4 Furry Friends, the charitable organization that assisted with the pet’s rescue in late December, Russ, a pit bull-terrier mix, wandered away from his owner’s truck in August as the Caldor Fire raged toward South Lake Tahoe.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the owner was forced to leave due to the fire after searching for the dog and reporting him missing to the animal control police.

“It was supposed that Russ was permanently lost,” says the author. Furry TLC 4

However, on Dec. 16, a man skiing west of Tahoe came upon the dog and took images of it.

TLC 4 Furry Friends volunteer Leona Allen and her volunteer partner Elsa Gaule donned on snowshoes and went up the steep mountain, hoping to find dog tracks.

Allen said that she saw the dog lying in the snow and thought he was dead.

“So I approached, and all of a sudden he opened his eyes and raised his head, and I shouted.” “It was just instinctive,” Allen, 61, explained.

Allen and Gaule having gained the dog’s trust and brought the dog down on a sled, and wrapped him in a blanket.