The Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team is busy during the spring and summers in the Red River Gorge area, but Sunday around 1:00 p.m., WCSART received a 911 call for an untypical rescue. A dog was reportedly in distress near Turtle Back Arch off Rock Bridge Road.
According to the search team, the dog was unable to walk under its own power and swelling was appearing on his back legs. The team carried in a stokes basket to meet up with the owners who had carried the canine on their back for nearly 1 mile on their own.
A team member, who works as Vet Tech, administered Benadryl before the carryout commenced. He was then loaded in the owners’ vehicle and was taken to a veterinary hospital in Lexington. It was only then they learned the dog had been bitten 5 times by a copperhead on both back quarters.
Since the story broke the team says they’ve been receiving a lot of inquires regarding ” Sasha’s” current condition, and received the following update from Sasha’s family:
“He is still in emergency care. Sasha was provided two treatments of anti-venom and has seen a decrease in the swelling but he’s still in a considerable amount of pain. They have increased his pain medication and hopefully he will start eating again. They are hopeful he may get to come home sometime today/Monday.”
*UPDATE* 8:55 pm Monday from WCSRT:
We just had an update from Sasha’s family. They were able to bring him home this evening. Although he’s still in a lot of pain and will require some additional treatments, he is resting in his own bed. The family is very appreciative of all the love, well wishes and support they have received.
