Feelgood interlude
But St Bernards are supposed to rescue people in the mountains…
A mountain rescue team has said its members “didn’t need to think twice” when they were called to help a 121lb (55kg) St Bernard dog that had collapsed while descending England’s highest peak.
Sixteen volunteers from Wasdale mountain rescue team spent nearly five hours rescuing Daisy from Scafell Pike after receiving a call from Cumbria police.
Her back legs were hurting and she couldn’t keep going. (Descending a steep hill can be hella painful, more so than climbing.)
They sought advice from vets before beginning the rescue operation and were able to assess Daisy’s condition and administer pain relief before lifting her off the mountain on a stretcher. The team said: “After a little persuasion and a bit of arranging the stretcher to become dog-friendly, and of course plenty more treats, the 55kg Daisy very quickly settled down with her chin resting on the head guard, having realised that we were trying to help her.
She’ll be reet.
She’s be aal reet. The “aal” is important. :-) They didn’t say why she was up there – with a tourist, undertaking a rescue, what?
Ah, Scafell Pike. I’ve climbed it, the views are pretty spectacular. But it’s also dangerous, especially if you’re not prepared. The number of people who go unprepared makes me crazy.
When I was a kid it seemed like every week they were rescuing someone or hunting for someone – often people who used a trail other than the Brown Tongue. I can understand that, BT is sometimes like Oxford Street at Christmas Time. But you have to take the Pike seriously. It might be a warm sunny summer’s day but the weather can change on a dime. Fog can descend suddenly and you can lose your situational awareness. People show up in sandals and shorts, and maybe a can of Coke and a Mars bar and think that’s all they need. They might have an anorak. No Silva compass, no Ordnance Survery map, nothing to wear if the weather turns. No way of communicating other than their mobile, which probably won’t work.
If you can get there and are able, Scafell is a wonderful hike/climb. But for the love of your fellow humans in the mountain rescue service – know what the hell you’re doing before you try it.
Stories like this are why I subscribe to The Dodo and Hope For Paws youtube channels.
But “you’ll be reet” is a variation – I’m sure I’ve heard it said that way…
Claire’s ‘aal reet’ is right for Northumberland and Cumbrian accents, ‘tha’ll be rayt‘ is Yorkshire and Derbyshire and ‘you’ll be reet’ is more akin to South Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, but there’s a lot of varying pronunciations around the counties’ borders.