They don’t make crampons for dogs.
North Shore Rescue is asking residents to be extra cautious when going for a hike on icy trails after having to help a woman and dog out of a drainage Tuesday.
A man and woman were walking their neighbour’s dog on the Baden Powell Trail in the late afternoon when the dog ventured off the trail.
“The Baden Powell was just an ice rink,” said Tim Jones, NSR team leader. “The dog went down into the (MacKay Creek) drainage and couldn’t get back up.”
The woman followed the dog in and became stuck herself, while man went for help.
“We went in. Everybody had to be in micro-spike crampons. We put her in them too to get her out,” Jones said.
While everyone was home in time for the evening news, the incident does prompt a couple safety warnings.
“We really want people to wear proper micro-spike type crampons,” Jones said. “If you are hiking, you should be hiking lower elevations or hiking areas that don’t have ridge systems and ice conditions like are present right now.”
It’s also not the best time of year taking dogs into the backcountry.
“Animals can get into real trouble too and if you have a leash, the dog can pull you and seriously hurt you,” he added.
