An 18-year-old man and his 80-pound English bulldog are recovering after becoming dehydrated on a hike in Madera Canyon Tuesday afternoon.
Green Valley Fire District spokesman L.T. Pratt said the teenager was hiking with his dog, Delilah, and a group of friends on the Old Baldy Trail when he began to fall behind and became separated from the group. A short time later, the teen decided to leave his dog behind and seek help when it began suffering signs of heat exhaustion, Pratt said.
On the way down the trail the teen called 911 and was met by GVFD firefighters at the bottom of Madera Canyon, he said. After rehydrating, the teen led the firefighters back up the trail, but the dog couldn’t be found.
Concerned for his health, firefighters sent the teen back down the trail while they continued their search with members of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department, Pratt said.
The dog was found a couple miles away and as of 4:30 p.m. firefighters were carrying him down the trail, he said.
The dog is expected to be taken to a veterinarian for a checkup, Pratt said