Dog Saves Severely Injured Snowmobilerโ€™s Life in Alaska

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Amber, the dog who saved her injured owner.
Amber, the dog who saved her injured owner.  photo:  ap

Last Sunday, 52-year-old snowmobiler Otis Orth crashed his snowmobile and severely injured himself.  He was on a remote road near Talkeetna, Alaska when the crash occurred.  Luckily, heโ€™d brought along his 15-month old Golden Retriever, Amber who most likely saved his life.

โ€œI tried to take a shortcut and ran into a hollow snow drift and that kind of kicked the back end of the snowmachine forward, and I went over the handlebars and slid for about 30 or 40 feet on my face and back.  It was kind of happening in slow motion, and I was thinking, โ€˜This has got to stop pretty soon.โ€™ And when it did stop, Amber came running over to me. I couldnโ€™t move but I could talk to her, and she was licking my face.โ€ โ€“ Otis Orth told the Alaska Dispatch

Otis Orth, the injured dog owner.  photo:  Tara Young
Otis Orth, the injured dog owner. photo: Tara Young

Orthโ€™s injures included a broken back, separated shoulder, arm and leg injuries, and cuts to his face.  He spent a day and a half lying on ice in temperatures as low as 5F.  The reason he survived?  His dog, Amber, kept him warm through the night and contacted rescuers.

โ€œShe never left me for more than 20 yards that whole time, she just kept coming back.โ€

โ€œAbout two hours later it was dark, and so my dog laid down by my right side with her head across my stomach.  And thatโ€™s the way we were all night.โ€

โ€œI could feel a little heat coming from her body on my right arm and across my body.โ€ โ€“ Orth told the Alaska Dispatch

Lassie
Lassie

After spending a bitter night keeping her owner warm, Amber heard two snowmobilers approaching and ran up to them and told them that her owner was injured, Lassie style.

โ€œThen, this dog came after us and I thought, โ€˜Oh, I donโ€™t want the dog trailing us,โ€™ so I sped up.  But the dog stayed with us and kept barking.โ€ โ€“ Tom Taylor, snowmobiler who discovered Orth, told the Alaska Dispatch

Amber then lead Taylor to her owner and showed him their predicament.  Taylor was able to call in a helicopter to take Orth to a hospital where he is awaiting surgery to fuse 3 of his vertabrae.

โ€œShe didnโ€™t want to leave his side,โ€ โ€“ Tom Taylor told the Alaska Dispatch

Just more proof that dogs are incredible.  Thanks Amber.


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