Hikers find scared, injured lost dog on trail — go the extra mile to get her to safety

It’s always inspiring to see people go out of their way to save animals. That was the case recently, when two hikers found a lost, scared dog on a mountain trail and went the extra mile to get him home safe.

The story was shared by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. According to their Facebook post, two hikers were on the trail in Colorado’s Meyers Ranch Park on November 19 when they came across a dog, with no owner in sight.

The dog was scared and injured. The hikers tried to befriend the dog and one began to carry it down the mountain. However, the frightened pet bit the hiker.

Facebook/Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

But they remained undeterred and were committed to getting the dog to safety. One stayed beside the dog while the injured hiker headed down the trail to get medical help, as well as to alert officers of the dog’s location.

Jeffco Open Space Rangers and Animal Control Officers then accompanied the hiker on the trail back to the dog. One of the rangers recognized the dog from a lost dog poster that had been placed in the park.

The team successfully got the injured dog down from the mountain and contacted the owner, who arranged to reunite with their lost pet. It turns out the dog, named Nova, had been missing for two months!

Nova reportedly has a broken leg, but is now resting comfortably at home.

The fact that Nova survived, alone and injured, for that long is a miracle in itself, and the long-awaited reunion was only possible because the hikers went above and beyond to save the day and get the dog help.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office shared the story ahead of Thanksgiving, saying they wanted to “share this story of thanksgiving for the acts of kindness shown to a lost pet.”

“A special thanks to everyone involved in helping Nova return home!” they wrote.