A fire rescue team in Evergreen, Colorado, rescued an unusual patient Sunday morning: a 120-pound Great Pyrenees dog named Kato. Poor Kato was on a hike with his owners, but he got so tired, he couldn't manage to complete the trail. Evergreen Fire Rescue carried him the rest of the way down the mountain – stretcher and all.
When the rescuers arrived to help 5-year-old Kato, he "was exhausted and likely dehydrated," they said. There wasn't much farther to go, but have you ever tried to carry a Great Pyrenees down a mountain? Not only are these dogs as heavy as a human, but they're also extremely fluffy. The only solution was to call for help.
Officials told KUSA that they weren't surprised to get a call from that particular trail. Kato and his owners were hiking Maxwell Falls, a steep and difficult trail.
The team used the same stretcher for Kato that they normally use to help people. Though Kato is definitely an unusual patient, they're happy to help animals in need whenever necessary.
"We choose to help animals," Stacee Martin, a spokesperson for the Evergreen Fire Department, told KUSA. "Doesn't matter if it's a horse stuck in the mud, owls that fall out of the nest… this is something that the community supports."
Thank goodness they were there for Kato – just look at this pile of floof.
"Good thing Kato's humans reached out for assistance as they were about 1 mile from the trail head," tweeted the fire department.
With the rescue team's help, Kato and his owners made it safely down the rest of the trail.
Of course, Evergreen Fire Rescue had to post photos of the epic rescue.
After news of the rescue hit Twitter...
Kato had some instant new fans.
Some of whom totally empathized with Kato's inability to finish the trail. Hiking is hard, OK?
We've all felt like Kato at one point or another.
On another level, though, this rescue story is enough to give you faith in humans again.
All those humans, for one helpless dog!
Some folks kinda, sorta wish they were there to help Kato, too… even though he finished the trail already.
And some folks just want you to remember: Kato's not lazy! He did everything he could.
Or… maybe he was just being lazy?
All jokes aside, some reactions were just concern over Kato's health – and whether his owners should have brought more water.
But the truth is, sometimes it's hard to gauge how tired a dog will get.
It's certainly not the first time a big floofy Great Pyrenees has been tuckered out, as one user pointed out.
At least Kato had a stretcher, unlike these doggos.
Any dog can need a helping hand.
It's just a matter of how many helping hands it takes to get them home.
But look – don't tell YOUR dog about this.
This is ONLY for emergencies.
