Hero dog keeps owner warm while waiting for emergency responders

• Grga Brkic was out hiking with his dog and two other hikers when he fell and was unable to move.
• As he waited for about 13 hours for emergency responders to arrive, his dog North lay on top of him to keep him warm.
• The first responders credited the Alaskan Malamute for helping keep Grga safe and warm.

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A sweet pup is being hailed a hero after he kept his owner warm for 13 hours while they were waiting to be rescued.

Grga Brkic was hiking in the Croatian mountains as part of a three-person hiking group when he fell.

His two fellow hikers were unable to reach him after his fall, so they decided to call for help. They contacted the emergency services hotline, but it was taking hours for them to respond.

Grga was injured by the fall and was unable to move. His dog, North, made sure to keep him company while they waited, and warmed him up by laying on top of him.

“The minutes and seconds before they arrived were so slow. This little dog is a real miracle,” Grga told Croatian newspaper Jutarnji.

Responders took about 13 hours to arrive on the spot where Grga was stranded, which is more than a mile above sea level.

There, they found North still laying on top of Grga.

The rescue team credited the eight-month-old Alaskan Malamute for his part in keeping Grga safe and warm.

Croatia’s mountain rescue service took a photo of North lying on top of Grga as he lay in the stretcher and shared it on Facebook, saying, “Friendship and love between man and dog has no boundaries.” They added that North “curled around him and warmed him”.

North was fortunately uninjured.

The mountain rescue service team issued a warning against taking dogs for hikes in difficult conditions, such as harsh winter weather and when specialized climbing equipment is required.

Source: Daily Star