A young woman braved the Colorado wilderness mountains for 2 days in search of a dog she knew was lost, and rescued the pup at the 11th hour.
Mount Bross, located in Colorado, is a snow-topped summit measuring in at 14,000 feet above sea level. A mountain that high is inhospitable and unforgiving.
A family lost Chloe, their 14-year dog there in mid-August after she broke away while on a walk.
Photo: Trinity Smith
Hikers had heard recent barking up there, but because of the ruthless nature of the mountain, combined with the length of time the dog had been missing and the old age of the dog, people dismissed these barks as those of a coyote.
It was believed by most, including the family, that Chloe had perished.
But after reading reports of hearing dog cries up on the mountain, Trinity Smith leapt into action. She knew she had to try to help Chloe if there were any chances it could be her.
Photo: Trinity Smith
The first day she ascended, she went alone. Eventually, she heard barking.
Smith desperately tried to track down where the barking was coming from, but came up empty. Eventually, the sun began to set, and Smith knew she couldn’t risk her own life getting lost in the dark on a cold mountain. So she turned around to go home.
But she wasn’t giving up.
The next day, she came back, this time with the help of her friend, Sean Nichols.
For three hours, Smith and Nichols braved the chutes of Mount Bross, trying hard not to create intense rock slides. They called for the dog, over and over.
Just as they were about to give up again, fate stepped in, and they heard the faint cry of the dog. She must have been desperately telling them, “don’t go.”
They were able to track her location, and found Chloe on top of a cragged rock. She was visibly starved, and the pair could tell at first glance that the dog didn’t have much survival time left.
Smith immediately scooped her into his arms, and the hikers carried Chloe down the mountain.
The pair put Chloe in the car to begin the drive back to town. The dog was exhausted, but must have known her terrifying ordeal was coming to an end, and that she was on her way home.
Smith and Nichols found Chloe at an astounding 26 pounds – originally, she’d weighed 90. Their first mission was to immediately get the starving pup some food, and spread the word that they’d found her.
Word got around so quickly to Chloe’s family that within 5 minutes of stopping at the grocery store for food, Smith and Nichols were met there by Chloe’s family. The dog's owner charged into the store, frantically asking if it were really his dog who had just been found.
But when the family saw Chloe, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind – this was their dog.
Chloe is in full recovery mode at home now.
Smith and Nichols were recently able to visit Chloe to see her much improved condition.
It will take her some time to bounce back from her ordeal and gain all the weight back, but now that she is back in her warm and loving home, a fully recovery is possible.
The first snows have begun to fall on Mount Bross, which Chloe would not have been able to survive.
Chloe was a fighter all the way through, and nobody can know what she endured those 6 long weeks.
Thanks to the heroic dedication of Trinity Smith, Chloe can now rejoice in spending the rest of her days with her loving family, where she belongs.
