The “dog days” of summer are finally upon us, so it means we have to take extra special steps to ensure our dogs are safe and protected when we take them outside.
As temperatures soared in the mountainous hills of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area, a struggling, dehydrated canine needed help — luckily, one was ready to go. Lexie Daniel, a group of hikers and others encountered a man whose dog seemed to be severely dehydrated and overheated. However, even after giving all of their water supplies to the canine, they were still afraid that it wouldn’t be enough to keep the pup going after seeing how bad a shape he was in.
The owner even had a big jug on hand, but water was not helping. They needed a miracle, and luckily they got one – in the shape of K. Salapek.
The dog’s owner was too tired to take it off the mountain trail. He called Kris Salapek, the local park ranger and reported his location.
Salapek jumped to action immediately after being made aware of the situation and quickly found the pups on the trail. Salapek knew there was a cold spring further down the mountain. If he could just get the puppy there, it might be possible to cool it down.
Salapek slung the 100-pound German Shepherd on his shoulders, and began the difficult journey down.
“It was a LONG distance — a couple of miles down an incredibly rocky path.”, Daniels told the Good News Network.
Salapek knelt next to the pup and poured water onto him when they reached the stream. Salapek did this to cool down the pup and allow him to make it through the rest of the journey.
Salapek cooled the pup and then lifted the exhausted dog back up onto his shoulders before continuing the walk down to the street.
The trail was rocky and tiring, and for over an hour the 100 pounds of a dog pushing down on him must have felt like lead, but Salapek just soldiered on — all he could think about was saving the dog.
Salapek reached the summit after a difficult and long descent. The pup got the care it needed and survived the terrible ordeal – all thanks to Salapek’s heroic effort.
Daniel, a pediatric nurse, posted the good deed she had just witnessed on Facebook and it went viral — garnering over 50,000 likes and 35,000 shares at the time of this writing.
Salapek arrived in time to help the dog and its owner. Some commenters remarked Salapek’s actions as brave and badass. Daniel and most others agreed that Salapek’s heroic rescue merits great recognition.
Salapek has made the pup feel safe and secure at home.
There aren’t many people who would have had the strength and determination that Salapek showed that day on the mountain, and he’s nothing short of a hero.
He’s been highly praised by the public and deserves all the love and recognition he’s been receiving.
