After spending the night with his seriously injured owner, a Labrador played a decisive role in his rescue by attracting the attention of rescuers with his barking. The young hiker was able to be located and then airlifted to a clinic, while his faithful companion escaped unharmed.
In Austria, a dog behaved like a hero in two ways; he not only allowed his master, injured following a heavy fall in the mountains, to escape hypothermia by remaining at his side, but he also guided the emergency services towards him, reported La Dépêche du Midi.
On Thursday October 1, 2026, a 21-year-old Austrian went hiking in the area of the Glacier du Dachstein in the company of his faithful 4-legged friend, a black Labrador Retriever.
His dog kept him warm
The young man then fell about twenty meters in a steep sector of the Grosser Roter Graben. He hit rocks, causing him to suffer serious injuries.
The hiker was no longer able to move. He therefore had to spend the night there, exposed to the cold. Fortunately, the canine stayed with him, helping him to preserve his body temperature.
The next morning, his partner having not heard from him, decided to alert the emergency services. She sent them the latest photos he had sent her, and the rescuers were also able to use the data on his phone to find out the area where he was likely to be.
It was, however, like looking for a needle in a haystack, but the dog made the task considerably easier.
Guided by barking
While flying over the scene, the rescuers eventually saw an orange tent set up at an altitude of 900 meters. After getting off the helicopter, they started hearing Labrador barking, which allowed them to locate his human at the edge of the ravine and pick him up.
Bergrettung Obertauern
The victim received first aid on scene and was then transported by helicopter to the clinic. Salzkammergut of Vöcklabruck.
The dog is safe and sound and back with his family, waiting to be reunited with his owner.