By Snohomish County Parks, Recreation & Tourism | Press Release
150 pound Great Dane carried over a mile to safety by volunteers and rangers
GRANITE FALLS, Wash., June 25, 2020 – A crew of volunteers from Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART) and park rangers from Snohomish County Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) assisted in the difficult rescue of Zion, a 5-year-old Great Dane last night at the Lime Kiln Trail. The nine rescuers worked tirelessly to bring the dog to safety using teamwork and quick-thinking.
“WASART was very professional and well trained, making it a very efficient and safe rescue,” said Rich Patton, SCPRT Park Operations Supervisor and Chief Ranger. “It was very satisfying seeing Zion on the litter with an expression of being ‘relieved’. On the way out, he seemed to be looking around at the scenery. It was well worth putting in the extra time for this rescue. The owners were very kind and grateful for everyone’s help.”
With their knowledge of the access roads, the park rangers were able to lead the rescue team to the owner and dog quickly. Using a wheeled litter, the trained volunteers and rangers hiked the exhausted canine back up the steep, brushy, obstacle ridden trail to a ranger truck, and the dog was then transported to the trailhead. The owners then took Zion to Pilchuck Animal Hospital. The one mile rescue of the 150 pound dog took over four hours.
Yesterday afternoon, SCPRT received the call that a woman was on the Lime Kiln Trail with a dog that was having a medical emergency and was not able to walk out the 3.5 miles to the trailhead. Neither Snohomish County Search and Rescue nor Snohomish County Animal Services was available to assist, so a local animal rescue service called members of WASART, who responded immediately. By using the access road, the rangers were able to cut 2 miles off of the rescue distance.
More Information
- Washington State Animal Response Team: https://wasart.org/
- Lime Kiln Trail: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Lime-Kiln-Trailhead-95
- www.snocoparks.org
About Snohomish County Parks, Recreation & Tourism
The Snohomish County Parks system is incredibly diverse and boasts almost 12,000 acres of parks and open space; over 110 park properties; 100s of miles of trails and access to fresh and saltwater shorelines. Major regional park assets such as the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Kayak Point Park, Lord Hill Park and the Centennial and Interurban Trail systems host local, regional and national events that draw over 5 million visitors each year to Snohomish County.
Author: Katrina Kukhar
