On Jan. 6, 2014, a Labrador named Sugar, was out in Colorado’s Summit County, Blue River area having fun in the snowy slopes with her owner Doug Barrie when an avalanche hit. The pet was buried in the deep snow.
Barrie and some of his friends had planned to go snowboarding. The group of friends had brought along the dog because she enjoys the snow and likes to chase after the snowboarders.
“She likes to chase us and play in the snow,” Barrie to 9 News. “She likes to hop around. She’s a ski dog.”
As the friends came down the mountain, Sugar followed, but and avalanche broke off and the canine was helplessly trapped. The snowboarders had already come down and couldn’t help their four-legged companion. They had no other option than to stand back and watch the avalanche succumb the pet.
Barrie and his friends went back up and searched for the dog during 10 min, but there was no sign until a distant sound grabbed a snowboarder’s attention.
“It was a little muffled. I heard it and didn’t think anything of it,” said Brian Donahue, one of the snowboarders. “It was just something moving. Then the second time around it was more of a bark.”
Thanks to that bark Sugar was saved. The friends hurried to the same spot the bark was heard and they dug the pet out.
“She was shaking,” said Barrie. “I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her and carried her down the mountain.”
Sugar is lucky to be alive today. She knew her owners would be looking for her and by using her voice she guided her human and his friends to her rescue.
