Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/dog-buried-avalanche-found-alive/

Exploring the backcountry can be exciting and fun, but it can also be quite dangerous. It’s important to always be prepared and have proper equipment and training before tackling high-risk areas, like avalanche zones.

One couple learned just how important it is to be prepared when they were exploring Monarch Crest in Salida, Colorado with their dog. As they were ascending the mountain, an avalanche broke out above them, threatening all of their lives.

Thankfully, one of the subjects had an airbag pack they were able to deploy. With the pack, they were only partially buried!

According to a report from the Chaffee County Search and Rescue, the other person was nearly buried entirely but was able to keep one hand above the snow of the avalanche.

The person who deployed the airbag pack was able to self-rescue and save their partner as well, but the dog was lost in the chaos. The search and rescue team posted a photo of the avalanche on Facebook and it’s easy to see how something could be buried and lost forever:

While it’s fortunate they weren’t all buried alive and killed by the avalanche, it was heartbreaking to know their dog was trapped and dying under several feet of snow and they had no idea where the dog was at in the avalanche or how to get to them.

With few other options, the couple ended up making their way back to the trailhead alone. They eventually went home and their dog was presumed dead. Even when search and rescue returned to the scene to try and find signs of the dog, they came up empty-handed.

A few days passed and the couple worked to come to terms with the fact they’d never see their dog again – but then they got a call.

According to a Facebook post by Chaffee County Search and Rescue, the dog was found days after being swept up in the avalanche! The pup had somehow survived the harsh cold and made its way to a trailhead over a mile from the site of the incident.

It’s a true miracle that the dog survived not only the avalanche but the winter weather conditions as well!

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog