CALGARY — A Calgary couple who rescued a St. Bernard from a steep ravine while vacationing in British Columbia have adopted the dog as their pet.
Dave and Sandy, who both didn’t want to give their last names, found the St. Bernard at the bottom of a ravine in the backcountry at Josephine Falls, B.C.
“I start whistling and she lifts up her head, looks around and flops down. .. so I scrambled down,” says Dave, who is a Calgary firefighter.
The female dog was about 91 metres down at the bottom of a steep, loose rock cliff. When Dave reached the bottom, he knew Jo was in trouble.
“She came to me but she was so skinny and weak and she was shaking and then she just flopped down.”
The couple left the dog and went for help in nearby Elkford, but when they all returned they found the dog collapsed on the grass.
The dog had no collar, tattoo or micro chip. Dave checked with locals, the RCMP and SPCA shelters in Cranbrook and Blairmore but nobody had reported a lost St. Bernard.
Dave didn’t want to leave the dog behind so he brought her home to Calgary and has named her Jo.
In Calgary, a vet treated Jo for malnourishment, dehydration and a serious infection. The vet said the dog likely was alone for three weeks in the backcountry before Dave and Sandy rescued it.
Jo, who had surgery and is now recovering at her new home, seems indebted to her rescuer.
“If I get up to go outside, she’s right behind me. She doesn’t want to be left alone so I’m just going to spoil her for a bit but she’s worth it,” says Dave.
Dave says the story has touched all his friends so much that they are lined up to help care for her when he’s at work.