05 March 2014

Dog Saves Man's Life After Snowmachine Crash

This story & video report from KTUU.com - 

ANCHORAGE - An injured Trapper Creek man whose golden retriever stayed with him overnight after a Sunday snowmachine crash, leading other snowmachiners to him, says he might not be alive if it wasn't for his pet.

Otis Orth, 52, says he hit a snowdrift and flipped his snowmachine on Sunday. He was unable to move and had to spend the night with only his dog Amber to keep him warm.

A few other snowmachiners had stayed an extra night in the area, and when Orth heard them close he told Amber to go alert them.

“She stayed really close to me,” Orth said. “She could tell I was shivering and I was cold. I mean, her running out and getting those guys on that snowmachine, I mean, it was just -- I could totally relax then.”

AST spokesperson Megan Peters says that while troopers don’t know exactly how long Orth spent outdoors, he was definitely there overnight. The circumstances of the crash, in which the rear tread of his snowmachine broke through ice in a marshy area and caused Orth to be thrown, also made him hard to spot.

“It was a pretty flat area, but his snowmachine went on into a thicket of trees,” Peters said. “Also, his body heat melted the snow, so he sank down into it.”

Orth rescued Amber from a shelter last year; now she's returned the favor.

6 comments:

ProudHillbilly said...

A perfect illustration why nobody gets to say things like "It's just a dog" around me.

Rev. Paul said...

Agreed! There's no such thing as "just a dog."

threecollie said...

Dogs never fail to astonish in what they can and will lovingly do for us.

Rev. Paul said...

Very true; thanks.

On a Wing and a Whim said...

Now that is a Good Dog.

Rev. Paul said...

Yes, ma'am, it is.