An avalanche in Chugach State Park
On 10 October, two experienced mountaineers accompanied by LouLou, a four-year-old Poodle-Husky Cross, were swept away by an avalanche. The slide threw them around 500 feet down from a ridge in Chugach State Park, Alaska, USA, Scripps News reports. Both men survived, but suffered severe injuries. Lauren Padawer's partner, Brian, suffered a broken jaw and a serious hand injury, whilst his climbing partner sustained three broken ribs and a fractured vertebra, Padawer told People.
Both men were rushed to hospital, but LouLou remained missing.
A search launched from the other side of the world
To make matters worse, Lauren Padawer was abroad at the time, celebrating her father's 80th birthday. From the other side of the planet, she tried everything she could to find her dog. "I wanted to exhaust every single resource I had," she told People. She reached out to four local animal welfare organisations in the Anchorage area, two hiking groups, a Chugach avalanche group, a mountaineering group, and a ski touring group, as well as over 36 individuals.
An AirTag, but an approximate location
Hope was restored when Padawer remembered that LouLou was wearing an AirTag. However, her initial estimate of the dog's location was off by nearly half a mile. In the Chugach mountains, such a distance can mean an entirely different ridge or valley, she pointed out on Facebook, especially as the weather can change quickly and turn stormy.
More than 20 people joined the search on the ground, along with a search dog. Commercial pilots Amanda Barker and Dave Beckett were close enough to pick up a new signal, and they continued searching until bad weather halted their efforts for the day. From over 5,000 miles away, Padawer helped them map the terrain by comparing Apple satellite images with another mapping app. Through this, she located the exact spot where Barker and Beckett had picked up the signal.
Found alive after around 50 hours
After nearly 50 hours, LouLou was found. When Padawer received a photo of her dog, she could hardly believe her eyes. It seemed too good to be true, and she burst into tears.
LouLou appeared to have a broken toe and a broken canine tooth, but she is now back to her normal self and enjoying naps on the sofa, according to her owner. LouLou loves sleeping outdoors, which may have helped her survive for so long. Padawer believes she is built for the cold, with a soft undercoat and a thick, curly outer coat.
For the family, the real heroes of this rescue are Barker and Beckett. On Facebook, Padawer wrote that their generosity and determination turned a desperate search into an extraordinary reunion.
Translated from the FR Wamiz website using artificial intelligence
