90-Pound KCSO Rottweiler Rescued After Overnight 4.5-Mile Mountain Carry

A 90-pound Kittitas County Sheriff's Office Rottweiler is safely home after volunteer rescue crews carried him 4.5 miles off a hiking trail near Lake Ann in Kittitas County following an overnight rescue.

The Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART) and Kittitas County Search and Rescue responded July 11 after Clyde injured all four of his paw pads while hiking and could no longer walk. Rescuers bandaged Clyde's paws in hopes he could hike out, but when that failed, they used a rescue sling before transferring him into a rescue litter for the long trip down the mountain.

The overnight rescue required volunteers to navigate steep, rocky terrain, stream crossings and narrow sections of trail by headlamp. Additional search and rescue members hiked in to relieve crews during the carry. After 4.5 miles, Clyde was reunited with his owner at the trailhead.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office praised the volunteers while acknowledging the dog likely wasn't suited for such a strenuous hike.

"Okay, mistakes get made," the sheriff's office wrote in a social media post. "Let's move on and recognize the great work done by the volunteers of WASART and KCSR to produce this positive—and SO photogenic—outcome."

WASART also thanked Kittitas County Search and Rescue for its partnership and encouraged the public to celebrate the successful rescue rather than criticize Clyde's owner.