A MOUNTAIN rescue team had to be called up the UK’s highest mountain to help save a dog who was refusing to budge.
Maggie, a 35kg Turkish Akbash dog, had sore paws and was refusing to go further when the walkers she was with began their trek back down Ben Nevis.
The three women had attempted to carry her but were forced to admit defeat.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue got the pet back by 1am on Sunday, following a day which saw four other callouts.
Team leader Donald Paterson said the conditions had taken their toll on the animal.
He said: “It had given up and the ladies were struggling to help it down.
“It had a few cuts to its paws, but I think with the heat and soreness it decided it wasn’t going any further.”
A stretcher party, complete with a casualty carer and chicken stick dog treats, was dispatched to help Maggie.
She was secured to the stretcher and transported the rest of the way by the team in the dark.
Paterson added: “The owners were struggling and would certainly have been up there all night if they didn’t get assistance.”
He added he would not usually expect his team to go out for an animal, but they insisted.
The Lochaber team had been called out four times already – to assist someone with a head injury, another with an ankle injury and two cases related to the hot weather.
The rescue of Maggie took around five hours.
