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Otis Orth, a 52-year-old Trapper Creek, Alaska resident, owes his life to his two-year-old Golden Retriever, Amber, after a snowmobile crash left him unable to move Sunday afternoon. Orth had set out with Amber to get food and gas when, on his way back, he lost control of snowmobile and sustained injuries to his neck as well as dislocated limbs.
Through the ordeal, which lasted from Sunday through Monday afternoon, Amber kept Orth warm by putting her head and paws over his stomach, and eventually went for help when the two heard approaching snowmobiles. See? This is exactly the reason why Chevy could pull that horsecrap with the commercial and make the everyone cry yesterday. Dogs are the best.
The Anchorage Daily News has more details:
“It was just me and the dog,” Orth said. Amber stayed by his side and snuggled against him as the temperature dropped. He tried to continuously move his legs, but about midnight, he said he lost feeling.
When daylight returned, he yelled for help every 10 to 15 minutes and again was thankful to have Amber nearby when a raven stopped to take a look at his predicament.
“That raven landed there and started to do a little walk about my head and shoulders,” Orth said. “I got her to run him off. I know how they are. They like to poke out eyeballs the first chance they get, if they think you’re dead. When you can’t move much, but just holler at them, I don’t think that’s much of a defense.”
Great, now I have another thing to constantly live in fear about: Being paralyzed and having ravens poke out my eyeballs. Thanks, dude.
Not until about 1:30 p.m. on Monday did Orth hear the sound of approaching snowmachines.
He got Amber excited: “Go see what they’re doing.” The dog went off and Orth heard her bark. The snowmachines stopped.
A little bit later, one of the riders, 68-year-old Tom Taylor of Trapper Creek, reported to Alaska State Troopers that a rescue was underway. Help began to flood in — other Trapper Creek cabin owners rushed out with a generator and a hair dryer, to keep him warm in his wet clothes. Troopers, LifeMed, EMS and a Trapper Creek ambulance with off-road rescue equipment were on the scene by about 3:40 p.m. to find Orth conscious, breathing and alert, but unable to move.
Orth will probably lose most of his toes due to frostbite, but would have almost certainly died if it hadn’t been for his dog. I hope Amber wins all of the awards and has a life full of belly rubs and bacon.
H/T Jezebel