When single mother Tia Vargas set off for a hike with her 76-year-old father, neither of them realised what was going to happen.
Vargas, from Idaho, demonstrated an incredible act of heroism after carrying a badly injured dog weighing 55lbs down a mountain to reunite him with his family.
The pair had been on the mountain already for three hours and were on their way back down again when they came across the badly injured doggo.
The springer spaniel was badly injued, with his owners were nowhere in sight. Woman finds injured 55-pound dog alone on mountain and lifts him onto her shoulders Tia knew that if they left him there, he would surely die. ‘If it were my dog or my child or someone I loved, I would want someone to do that for me,’ said Tia.’ ‘There’s no way I could have left him up there and still had a heart at peace.’ So she made the amazing decision to carry the 55lb dog to safety.” The dog was with another family who had found him,” Tia recalled. “They asked if he was my dog, and I said no.” “They didn’t know what to do, as they had little children with them who had never hiked this hike before.” Boomer had gone missing the day before. Overnight, the dog had fallen through a 100-foot snow crevice, and rolled about 200 feet. Boomer’s owner’s rushed frantically down the mountain to get to him, but by the time they got to the bottom, he was gone. When Tia first saw Boomer, the dog, his eyes were puffy and bloodshot and his entire body was swollen.
‘You could tell he was very dehydrated. He had cuts and scratches on his belly and on his head. He was in bad condition,’ she said. The hike back to ground level was tough for Tia and at one point she remembers praying for help. “We had to hike through the snow, we even lost the trail at one point. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life,” she said. The trail she had chosen to take down had been closed due to snow and debris, leaving her with nobody to help and no clear path to follow. The 6-mile journey really took everything Tia has to complete. She took lots of time to rest in between stops. Woman finds injured 55-pound dog alone on mountain and lifts him onto her shoulders She also recalls feeling a ‘divine intervention’ after sending a prayer which made the dogs weight feel lighter. Boomer, Vargas and her father got lost twice, and at one point the Idaho woman says her legs caved in. She says a joke from her father and a lot of help from God helped her find the strength to get Boomer to the bottom of the mountain. She also recalls feeling a ‘divine intervention’ after sending a prayer which made the dogs weight feel lighter. Boomer, Vargas and her father got lost twice, and at one point the Idaho woman says her legs caved in. She says a joke from her father and a lot of help from God helped her find the strength to get Boomer to the bottom of the mountain. Six hours and seven miles of snow and debris later, the single mother finally got Boomer to street level, and was able to reconnect him with his owners Now, Tia couldn’t stop thinking about the sweet dog who she had grown such a connection with. “It pulled at my heartstrings all night long, and when I woke up the next day, my first thought was “that dog’s supposed to be mine.” Vargas said she saw a sign the family posted pleading with hikers to call them if they see their doggo. When she rang the number the family immediately asked, ‘Is he dead?’ She said the family, who had searched for hours the night he went missing, were so overwhelmed and grateful someone could commit such a selfless act that they gave the dog to her and her family. Thankfully, after speaking with the dog’s owners, a decision was made that Boomer would now be Tia’s dog. And although he still needs surgery to fuse some of his bones together, Boomer is already doing much better. It was incredibly lucky that Tia was there when Boomer was most in need. Thanks to her huge gesture of kindness, he’s still here today. Watch her inspirational interview below.