Husky rescued from mountain on stretcher after injuring paws

By Jack Fifield and Matthew Graham

A dog had to be brought down England's second-highest mountain on a stretcher by rescue volunteers - after he injured his paws during a long walk.

Husky Prince was on the 3,163ft tall (964m) Scafell, in the Lake District, with his owner James Briscoe, when he cut his paws and was unable to carry on.

By 9 pm, Briscoe had become exhausted trying to carry the 35kg dog, roughly the weight of an 11-year-old child, back down using a rescue sling.

He called the police who contacted the Wasdale Mountain Rescue team for assistance after he began stumbling on difficult terrain following a day of fell-walking.

A group of 11 rescuers made their way to help get the pair down to the valley floor in an operation lasting almost six hours.

Prince was described as “as good as gold” and was happy to be placed on a stretcher for the long carry back.

The dramatic rescue concluded at 3.25 am on Sunday morning (Aug. 10).

Briscoe said on social media: “Firstly, a massive thank you to the MRT for getting out to Prince and I.

"We will never truly be able to fully express our gratitude.

“A quick update on Prince. He is home, eating and drinking without protest.

“He has been the vet, and thankfully, the only issue to deal with are his pads, and we have a treatment plan to sort him out.

“As for myself, apart from blisters, bruises, aches, and pains, I have got a bit to reflect on and process.

“For those talking about rescue slings, the reason I was able to get him down to Burnmoor Tarn from Slight Side was because I carry the Fido Pro Airlift rescue sling (with the bruising to prove it).

“Without it, the situation would have been much harder to deal with.

“I also carry emergency cover boots and first aid, but his pads were too raw for me to get the boots on him, and I made it my priority to get him off the mountain.

“We are experienced hikers, and I always try and plan for every scenario, i.e., GPS, live tracking, first aid, and other emergency gear.

“My full intent was to get him home myself, but was defeated by a stream crossing and exhaustion, at which point I decided the safest bet was to phone it in.

“Again, thank you so much to everyone at the MRT, and lessons have and will be taken away from this weekend.”

A spokesperson for Wasdale Mountain Rescue team said: "A call was received from Cumbria Police last night about a lone walker who was exhausted and starting to fall around on steep ground, about halfway down from Scafell summit.

"He had been carrying his 35 kg Husky, Prince, since the summit of Slight Side after a long day on the fells.

"Prince had cut his paws and could not continue.

"When his owner finally realised that he would not make it down to the valley floor without hurting either himself or Prince, he wisely called for help.

"The team leader called the team out and they made their way towards Burnmoor Tarn, with the walker still descending slowly.

"Once on scene Prince was as good as gold and happily accepted the stretcher carry back to Brackenclose, along with much attention from everyone present

"We hope Prince’s paws heal quickly, and his owner is none the worse for wear after his efforts to get down on his own."

The team reminded walkers to plan ahead, consider their dog’s fitness and paw protection on rocky terrain, and not to hesitate in calling for help if safety becomes a concern.