Squamish Search and Rescue was called this week after a dog got into trouble along the Cheakamus River Tuesday evening.
Brian Messer, his wife Andrea and their dog Maverick were climbing along the Star Chek Trail when Maverick decided to explore.
Messer said Maverick was not on a leash and went down an embankment toward the river and somehow got sucked into the current.
“So we haven’t seen this happen,” he said. “We only saw the aftermath. So when he didn’t come back on the recall, we went down and saw him lying in the water a little ways away.”
When Messer called his wife and then looked back, Maverick was gone.
“Our response was to run back to the vehicle as quickly as possible, drive into Squamish and go as far into the Paris Valley as possible,” Messer said.
“And then we combed the creek bed of that river for three hours, as far as I could physically go at that moment, as if I thought it was over.”
Their friends drove up from Vancouver with a drone to help search and they drove back to the top of Star Chek and another hiker said they heard a dog barking.
Messer said they had already corresponded with Search and Rescue at that point, but there was little the team could do as darkness fell.
“We just hoped with every bone we had in our body that Maverick would find a way to survive,” Messer added. “And luckily he did.”
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At first light Wednesday, a team of water and rope technicians from Squamish Search and Rescue left.
“This was actually a great effort by our team of volunteers,” BJ Chute, manager at Squamish Search and Rescue, told Global News.
It was a long trek through challenging terrain and the rescue team said they could have reached the area more quickly and safely by helicopter.
But that request was denied by Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR), the provincial ministry that helps coordinate the search and rescue operations.
Without a helicopter, members had to walk to the area and descend to the railroad tracks, which CN Rail and police had to close to assist in the rescue. Then a member had to be lowered to Maverick, secure him and withdraw. upwards.
“It is very unfortunate that we were denied the use of a helicopter,” Chute said. “The lack of helicopters meant that our volunteers were exposed to unnecessary risks.”
Bowinn Ma, the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Preparedness, did not make herself available for an interview on Thursday.
Squamish Search and Rescue must also cover the costs of the rescue, while EMCR does not.
“We like to do that,” Chute said. “We’re just disappointed that we have to do that in this case.”
He said the fear is that an owner will try to rescue their pet on their own, which could endanger him or her.
“We did not want the public to attempt this technical rescue without us,” Chute added.
“It is extremely dangerous. We are all dog owners, we are all dog lovers, and we understand the relationship people have with their pets. But I think it is crucial that if a dog is in this kind of trouble, especially considering the number of hazards, technical terrain and very fast moving technical water, these rescues should be carried out by the professional SAR teams within the limits of the area. the province.”
Chute said the teams are highly skilled and trained and know the best approach.
“Even though we are volunteers, this is what we do professionally and we have the resources, we have the equipment, we have the training, we have the backup plans,” he added.
“We have all the systems in place to carry out these rescue operations. So our greatest fear is that someone who is a dog owner, or someone in the public with some experience, will attempt to perform this rescue on their own.”
Chute said the approval for a helicopter did eventually go through, but that happened after the rescue was completed.
“We are extremely disappointed that we were denied a helicopter,” he added.
“Not only would this have impacted this rescue much faster, but it would have been a lot safer for our volunteers to do this, and we could have brought this dog home hours before we did.
“Due to the delay in obtaining approval for a helicopter, the approval came after the rescue was completed. In our view it is simply unacceptable.”
Messer said the gratitude they feel toward Search and Rescue members is “indescribable.”
“I thought for hours that we had lost Maverick,” he said. “And you know, he’s a year old. We only had him for a year and we just got married. And if I had experienced that tragedy, I don’t know how I would deal with it.”
Messer said they need professionals who know what they are doing with the technical knowledge and safety procedures.
“If we did that, we would also be putting our lives in danger,” Messer said.
“We owe everything to Search and Rescue.”
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