Hi Folks
This is not strictly a caravan topic but I thought it was worth sharing as a cautionary tale for the many caravanners who are dog owners and a tribute to Keswick Mountain Rescue.
Our problems with the caravan battery paled into insignificance last Sunday afternoon. We went for a walk from Keswick CC with Max our collie from Great Woods Carpark over Walla Crags.
It was a beautiful day and we had a lovely walk with stupendous views. I was coping well despite recently have problems with arthritus in my right knee. We decided to come down the footpath which runs alongside Cat Gill. The path was steep and rough and took a bit of care when HORROR of HORRORS Max wandered off the path and fell into the ravine. It was an almost vertical drop down to the stream and we could not see or hear Max - there was a lot of foliage in the way. There was NO way we could safely get down to investigate.
After some thought as to what to do we dialed 999 on my mobile and they put us in touch with Keswick Mountain Rescue. Mountain Rescue were WONDERFUL from start to finish. After re-assuring us and warning us not to attempt to rescue Max they sent out a team of 4 lovely guys. Two of them climbed up to where we were waiting and 2 walked up the river bed. During the hour wait we had for them to arrive we heard nothing from Max despite shouting him at frequent intervals. We thought that he was probably dead!!!
Anyway just before the KMR guys climbed to be with us we heard Max give one bark. The guys with us at the top were wonderfully re-assuring and friendly and prepared to climb down if necessary to rescue Max. However a little while later the 2 KMR men in the riverbed found Max. To our joy he was alive although he had been sitting in a pool in the river and was wet and cold. The 2 KMR guys with us walked down the path to a place where their colleagues could meet up with us.
The 2 guys in the river carried Max to this rendezvous point. Max was cold and wet but was able to stand. He was however, not surprisingly, rather unsteady on his feet so the KMR guys carried him down the rest of the path to their rescue landrover.
Not only that but as I was by that time struggling a bit with my knee one of them walked down with me!! The KMR couldn't have been more caring. One of them accompanied us back to their base and they then contacted a local vet, arranged an appointment later that SUNDAY evening and even printed out a map and drew on the route to the vet's surgery.
Max fortunately seems little worse for wear considering that he fell 30-40 metres into water. The vet said that his back was bruised and gave him injections for shock and a strong anti-inflammatory.
At 14 years old Max already has some problems with his back leg joints and has to take PLT tablets. He, also, seems to get a bit confused at times and this perhaps contributed to his accident. He is a little more stiff walking at the moment and has been sick a few time but seems to be making a good recovery.
A BIG THANK YOU to Keswick Mountain Rescue and to the Keswick vet who saw Max at 8.00pm on a Sunday. A cautionary tale to us and other dog owners.
Tim
This is not strictly a caravan topic but I thought it was worth sharing as a cautionary tale for the many caravanners who are dog owners and a tribute to Keswick Mountain Rescue.
Our problems with the caravan battery paled into insignificance last Sunday afternoon. We went for a walk from Keswick CC with Max our collie from Great Woods Carpark over Walla Crags.
It was a beautiful day and we had a lovely walk with stupendous views. I was coping well despite recently have problems with arthritus in my right knee. We decided to come down the footpath which runs alongside Cat Gill. The path was steep and rough and took a bit of care when HORROR of HORRORS Max wandered off the path and fell into the ravine. It was an almost vertical drop down to the stream and we could not see or hear Max - there was a lot of foliage in the way. There was NO way we could safely get down to investigate.
After some thought as to what to do we dialed 999 on my mobile and they put us in touch with Keswick Mountain Rescue. Mountain Rescue were WONDERFUL from start to finish. After re-assuring us and warning us not to attempt to rescue Max they sent out a team of 4 lovely guys. Two of them climbed up to where we were waiting and 2 walked up the river bed. During the hour wait we had for them to arrive we heard nothing from Max despite shouting him at frequent intervals. We thought that he was probably dead!!!
Anyway just before the KMR guys climbed to be with us we heard Max give one bark. The guys with us at the top were wonderfully re-assuring and friendly and prepared to climb down if necessary to rescue Max. However a little while later the 2 KMR men in the riverbed found Max. To our joy he was alive although he had been sitting in a pool in the river and was wet and cold. The 2 KMR guys with us walked down the path to a place where their colleagues could meet up with us.
The 2 guys in the river carried Max to this rendezvous point. Max was cold and wet but was able to stand. He was however, not surprisingly, rather unsteady on his feet so the KMR guys carried him down the rest of the path to their rescue landrover.
Not only that but as I was by that time struggling a bit with my knee one of them walked down with me!! The KMR couldn't have been more caring. One of them accompanied us back to their base and they then contacted a local vet, arranged an appointment later that SUNDAY evening and even printed out a map and drew on the route to the vet's surgery.
Max fortunately seems little worse for wear considering that he fell 30-40 metres into water. The vet said that his back was bruised and gave him injections for shock and a strong anti-inflammatory.
At 14 years old Max already has some problems with his back leg joints and has to take PLT tablets. He, also, seems to get a bit confused at times and this perhaps contributed to his accident. He is a little more stiff walking at the moment and has been sick a few time but seems to be making a good recovery.
A BIG THANK YOU to Keswick Mountain Rescue and to the Keswick vet who saw Max at 8.00pm on a Sunday. A cautionary tale to us and other dog owners.
Tim
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