Rescued dog helps rescue another

Dozens of people tried to rescue Blewett this winter after he was seen huddling in the snow at the top of Blewett Pass for a week. Wary of strangers, the dog accepted food and was finally captured and adopted into a home.

On Monday, Blewett returned the favour and helped rescue another imperiled black Lab.

Jay Smith of Plain said his wife, Janie, was walking Blewett on a trail high above the Wenatchee River when Blewett started barking and raced down the steep bank to sniff out another animal close to the river’s edge. The Smiths adopted Blewett from the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society animal shelter in March.



"My wife thought it was a dead bear," Jay Smith said. Janie Smith called Blewett back up and they went home so she could get a pair of binoculars. With the binoculars, Janie could see it was a large black dog, and it was alive.

Jay Smith called Chelan County Fire District 9 and returned with a firefighter and a friend to try to reach the dog, using ropes to climb down to the river. Blewett again ran down and stayed with the dog while the dog was rescued on Monday evening. The dog was weak, old and arthritic, but otherwise uninjured. Information on his red collar led to a Plain neighbour, Carol Hurt.

"The whole thing is a miracle," said Hurt, who explained the 11-year-old dog, Pepper, had been lost since Saturday. "One big black lost dog found the other big black lost dog.It’s pretty heartwarming."