Community Unites to Find Missing Dog After Owners Were Rescued from Mountain

Staff Writer

Thursday, January 24th, 2019

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – A couple of hikers are reunited with their dog after being rescued from the 7800 level of the San Gorgonio Mountain on Monday.

While David Westberg and Jennifer Graham, both of San Diego were hiking Westberg slipped off of the icy trail. He slid approximately 150 feet down a steep slope only stopping when a tree stopped him from sliding further down. Westberg was injured as a result of his fall, so he called 911 for assistance. The Sheriff’s helicopter arrived and hoisted the couple off of the mountain. Graham was transported to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.

The hikers, grateful for the rescue noticed that their dog “Stella” ran off during the ordeal and was lost. The community came together to help reunite the couple with their dog. “Off-duty San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Teams, off-duty San Bernardino County Fire personnel, mountain community residents, and even one of the off-duty rescuer’s dog, Kronos, all pulled together to find Stella,” San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said.

On Wednesday, January 23, 2019, in the afternoon during a search, rescuers heard yelping and barking. They looked in the direction of the barks and yelps but did not see anything, One of the residents hiked up the mountain about 250ft above the trail to where Stella was at and was able to control slide with her in his arms back down to the trail. On the morning of Thursday, January 24, 2019, Stella was reunited with her owners.

“This is a great example of the dedication of our volunteer personnel, San Bernardino County Fire personnel, and our residents have for their community,” Sheriff’s officials added. “Locating Stella was done completely on their own time aside from their hard work as volunteers and first responders.”

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