Her heart was moved when she heard the rumors about strange noises coming from high up in desolate Mt. Bross, Colorado. Being an adventurous hiker herself, this brave young lady decided to take the matter into her own hands and do something about it.
Trinity Smith couldn’t get the idea out of her head that there might be an animal in distress out there more than 14,000 feet above sea level. Being an animal lover, she hated this mental burden, so she set out on her own to discover what was creating the noise that some said was probably a coyote.
There were no houses or people in the area, so she was unsure of what she might find. Part of what drove her was the knowledge a dog had gone missing weeks ago, and the owners had searched for her daily for several weeks but had long given up any hope of finding their pet alive. Was it possible the dog was still alive?
Smith soon heard the sounds after she had climbed over the rough terrain, and she became certain it was coming from a dog and sounded far away. But as it was getting close to nightfall, she had to abandon her mission. The following morning, she set off again, this time with her friend Sean Nichols accompanying her.
They quickly searched and discovered a very old and frail dog clinging onto the rocks. She seemed to be almost lifeless, so with gentle care, Nichols lifted her up and carried her down the rocky slope to their car.
After putting a message on social media, Smith was contacted by the owners of Chloe, the dog who had gone missing in the area six weeks before.
The owners met them at the store as they were buying some food for the starving 14-year-old dog, and a very emotional reunion ensured.
“We were at the local grocery store for less than five minutes before the owner came barging in to see if this was his lost dog,” Smith told The Dodo.
Poor Chloe was just skin and bone, weighing just 26 pounds (approx. 12 kg), a loss of 34 pounds (approx. 15 kg), but was very grateful to her new friends for saving her life. Smith and Nichols have visited Chloe at her home, where she was slowly recovering at the time.
“I am overwhelmed with joy seeing sweet Chloe back with her loving family, already gaining lots of weight, and progressing so fast,” said Smith. “She has more fight in her than most of us could ever imagine, lasting six whole weeks in such harsh, inhospitable conditions.”
It was a blessing this young lady had the compassionate heart and perseverance to go into the desolate mountains in search of an animal in distress and never give up. And well done Chloe for clinging to life until you were found!