Sage is a 12-year-old Labrador, who, unfortunately, went blind because of some health problems. But as this wasn’t hard enough already, the dog recently got lost in Santa Cruz Mountains! According to the owner Berth Cole, Sage went too far from their home in Boulder Creek, California and from that point he was impossible to find. Of course, Berth was heartbroken.
“It was horrible. We were so heartbroken and just feeling so bad that she was out there,” Berth said.”We had so many people helping with the search. We had signs up, we had it posted everywhere.”
After a couple of hours, Berth realized her beloved dog has disappeared, so she alerted the authorities. They desperately tried to find the missing dog and they even brought in a handler with a tracking dog, but all their efforts were in vain, as Sage was unreachable.
Sage the blind dog’s story of survival is a miracle. She survived 7 nights lost in the #SantaCruzMountains: https://t.co/8USmIWjQJQ. pic.twitter.com/BbilVtz7LL
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) March 7, 2017
But, when they all lost any hope, the miracle happened. After eight days, Dan Estrada, the Coles’ neighbour who’s a firefighter, accidentally found Sage while hiking with a friend. When he spotted him, Sage was lying down, so Dan actually thought he’s gone. But the dog was waiting there, for help. The kind hearted firefighter took him over his shoulder and carry him back home.
“While we were hanging out talking, next thing you know, I look over and see Sage laying on the ground right with her head in the stream,” Dan told ABC7 News. “I jumped in the stream, I was super happy. I put my arms around her and hugged her and threw her over my shoulders and carried her up the mountain.”
As you imagine, the news of finding the missing dog brought tears of happiness and an unimaginable joy in Berth’s heart. “I was hugging everybody, you know, his friend, him, my son, Sage you know. It was just amazing,”she said.
Even now, they just cannot find an explanation of how Sage managed to survive alone, for so many days. They all say it is a miracle. “It’s been harsh conditions and that dog had such a strong will to live. And I think everybody has a lesson to be learned from that: Don’t give up,” the man who found Sage, added.
