05/27/2025
Yesterday, my good friend and I took our young and active dogs for a hike, something we do regularly. This was a short and easy hike, only 3 miles long with a 300 ft elevation gain—the type of hike where you don’t really worry about anything going wrong, and you question whether you really need to bring your hiking pack.
After almost 2.5 miles of fun, my friend’s dog laid down in the middle of the trail and didn’t want to get up. He was unsteady when we tried to lift him, his gums quickly turned white, and his eyes lost all energy. After a minute of assessing him, we decided to carry him out so we could get him to the closest emergency vet as soon as possible. Carrying a 65 lb dog up a rocky incline is difficult, to say the least, and neither of us had a rescue harness with us. We both feel incredibly fortunate to have been on an easy trail and nearing the end when this happened.
I can only imagine how much worse this situation could have been if we had been on a more difficult trail or had not been close to the end.
Porkchop is home resting now. Tests at the emergency vet indicate that he was likely bitten by a bug, causing anaphylaxis.
Hiking with my dogs is one of my favorite ways to spend our free time, and I know they love it just as much. This situation won’t stop us from hiking, but it sure did humble me. Moving forward, regardless of the difficulty or length of a hike, I’ll be carrying a rescue harness for my dogs.
If you hike with your dogs, I urge you to add a rescue harness to your pack. These situations may be rare, but as with anything unexpected, you’re better off having it and not needing it than needing it and not having it.
makes great rescue harnesses and is a New Hampshire-based company.
