This dog survived 5 weeks in the Colorado mountains. A hiker carried him to safety

Zach Hackett was hiking in the Colorado mountains when he heard the faintest of sounds.

“The best way I can explain it is a little, ‘Yip.’ It wasn’t a bark. It wasn’t a cry. It was kind of in-between,” Hackett told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. “It was kind of like, ‘Hey, I’m over here. Look at me. Help me. Save me.'”

Then he saw the source of the cry — a small black and white dog, emaciated and shivering on the forest floor about 10 metres away.

He knew immediately what he had to do.

“I never had a question in my mind. I mean, if you see somebody in need, you help them no matter what, whether it’s an animal or a human,” he said. “If I even considered leaving him, I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleep again.”

Hackett was some 3,600 metres up a mountain on May 14 when he spotted the desperate dog. 

He was new to Breckenridge, Colo., so he hadn’t seen the signs plastered all over town in April about a missing Shetland sheepdog named Riley.

Meanwhile, Riley’s owner, Mike Krugman, had very nearly given up hope. After all, the beloved pooch had been missing for five weeks.

“He’s a hardy little dog,” Krugman told Köksal. “But, I mean, we’ve got mountain lions, coyotes and bears in the area.”‘

He lost his wife — and then his dog

On April 8, Krugman let his nine-year-old sheepdog out for his usual pre-dinner jaunt. Usually, Riley would run around Kurgman’s sprawling mountainside property, head down to the barn to bark at the horses, then return to the house for a bite.

But this time, he didn’t come back.

“We had five feet of snow in the last couple of days, and I’ve got a five-foot fence surrounding our entire property,” Krugman said. “I walked to the south end of the property, and lo and behold, I do not have a fence. It’s completely covered.”

Krugman has six dogs, including Riley. He and his wife, Pam, used to run a rescue centre for collies and sheepdogs, and they would often end up adopting the older pooches that were harder to find homes for. 

Pam died in January. Krugman says his friends and family think Riley ran off to look for her. 

He called the Summit Lost Pet Rescue, whose volunteers helped him put up posters and social media posts for Riley. But as time went on, and nobody called, it seemed less and less likely the dog would ever return.

Through the woods, across a river

By the time Hackett happened across Riley, the dog was six kilometres away from his home, and 1,219 metres higher.

As Hackett approached the shivering dog, he realized it didn’t even have enough strength to stand, let alone make the treacherous journey back to town.

“I think he had been sitting in that position for quite a long time,” he said. “I honestly believe that was his last day up there.”

So he scooped him up, wrapped him in a blanket and carried him for two hours. 

“I wasn’t on any trails. The terrain was pretty rough to walk through — lots of downed trees and sharp sticks, and it was very steep. So it was much harder to keep my balance with him in my arms.”

The hardest part was carrying Riley across the Blue River.

“It’s only about knee-deep, but the current is very quick,” Hackett said. “If were to fall and drop Riley there, I wouldn’t have been able to save him.”

But Riley didn’t give him any trouble.

“He didn’t scramble and he wasn’t trying to jump out of my arms. He didn’t make a single noise,” Hackett said.

When Hackett finally made it to his apartment, it was night, and the Summit County Animal Shelter was closed. He and his girlfriend did everything they could to keep Riley comfortable — and alive — until morning. They gave him water and a warm bath.

“I was very worried,” Hackett said.

The next morning, he took the dog to the shelter. That’s where he learned Riley had been out there for more than a month. 

“My heart dropped and I started bawling,” Hackett said.

“Just nothing made sense. The fact that he survived that long, the fact that I found him. Like, the chances that I was even up there that day, it was just, the whole situation was way bigger than me. And it emotionally just took everything out of me.”

Reunited and it feels so good

It was emotional for Krugman, too. When he got the call the next day that Riley had been found alive, he could barely believe it.

“I dropped everything and just took off for the shelter,” he said.

Summit Lost Pet Rescue described the reunion as “beautiful moment” in a Facebook post.

“Miracles DO happen,” the charity said.

Krugman took Riley to the vet, and learned that he’d lost half his body weight, dropping from 25 pounds to 12.

He spent three days on an IV, and had to be slowly reintroduced to food. But his owner is pleased to report the dog is doing much better now. 

“He is back to ruling the house,” Krugman said. “He’s the smallest of six, and he is the alpha dog by far.”

Hackett has since started volunteering at Summit Lost Pet Rescue, and has launched a new dog care business called Riley’s Retreat. He has been to visit Krugman and Riley several times since that fateful day.

“I couldn’t really rest until I got the good news about Riley,” Hackett said. “That was the completion for me. That was the happy ending.”

Krugman disagrees.

“I don’t say it’s the completion of the story, because Zach is part of Riley’s life now and part of my life. And we’ve become friends,” he said. “And, you know, to have a friend up in Summit County is pretty good.”