Hiking through the mountains is such a great hobby. You get to enjoy the beautiful scenery, get some much-needed exercise, and you get to rescue a missing dog. Well, the last bit may not apply to all, but hiking buddies Danny Hartung and Kelly McDuffie have every right to boast about that achievement.
The dog that they coincidentally rescued was Max. The golden retriever and his family were vacationing in Madison, Virginia for the 4th of July when he disappeared from the resort they were staying in. They believe that Max hid somewhere in the nearby Shenandoah National Park. But despite their efforts, they couldn’t find him.
The family returned home to Washington D.C. and hoped that the park rangers would be able to find their beloved pup. Kelly and Danny had seen the fliers about Max. Little did they know that fate was about to get them involved that fateful day.
Right off the bat, fate was already working behind the scenes. Kelly wanted to try a new trail in the mountains that day, a trail that leads to a waterfall. Luckily for our furry friend, Danny was able to convince her to go through the usual trail, where they would eventually run into Max.
While trekking through the mountains, they heard a spring off the trail, and since it was very hot that day, the cool spring water was too irresistible for Kelly and Danny. They found it, and while Kelly cooled off in the spring water, Dany picked out ripe berries nearby, and this is when he saw a dog hiding behind the undergrowth.
They soon realized that this was the missing dog, Max. The pup was not very welcoming at first and started growling at them. So they offered him some food and water, which eventually led Max to trust them. Kelly called the park rangers to come get Max because he couldn’t walk due to fatigue and they are too deep in the forest to carry him back.
They stayed with him until the rangers came, who rushed him to the vet. After hearing about Max’s rescue, his family immediately drove back to Madison to be reunited with their pup that has been missing for over 11 days. See Kelly’s account of the rescue below.
Credits: Good Morning America
