[pct-l] The rescue of desert dog

[Tjf785 at aol.com (Tjf785@aol.com)]

This is my story of the rescue of Desert Dog.  After 28 miles, in 114  
degrees, in the late afternoon, I arrived at Cottonwood Creek.  I set up my  tent, 
then crossed the dry creek bed up to the water trough.  After  brushing the 
thousands of yellow jackets away from the water trough, I was  filtering my water 
and watching the black dog on the other side of the creek  bed, up on the 
bank.  I thought the dog belonged to one of the other two  hikers that were 
camped at the creek also.  The dog did not come down  around the people--it stayed 
up high on the bank.  
 
I ate my dinner and went to bed.  The next morning I was up and hiking  at 
4:45.  Because I didn't take time to read my guide book the night  before, I 
missed where the trail turned off the dirt road.  While  continuing up the road 
in the dark, I heard a noise and felt an animal  brush along side my leg, 
causing me to jump several feet in the air.  Then  I saw it was the dog I had seen 
last night.  I hiked up the road for about  an hour, coming to a locked gate.  
Then realized that I had missed the turn  and I was upset because I had lost 
about two hours of time hiking in the cool  weather.  Back on the trail, the 
dog was with me but darting off to the  side chasing rabbits, but not catching 
anything.  By the time we arrived at  Tyler Horse Canyon, it was hot.  We 
stopped there for a rest.  I was  feeding my jerky to the dog.  I would throw a 
small piece out and the dog  would get it.  The next time I wouldn't throw it 
quite so far.  Soon  the dog was taking the jerky out of my hand.  By this time 
I had named  her Desert Dog. 
 
We took off down the trail again.  After awhile I could see the dog  was very 
thirsty.  She would run ahead of me 100 feet, lie in the shade  under a bush 
until I caught up, then go again.  I called the dog, pouring  water in my hand 
to get her to come to me.  She came to me and started  drinking the water in 
my hand.  I then poured water for her into my  cooking pot.  From then on, she 
would come to me and let me pet her.   We passed Scooby and Shaggy some time 
in the afternoon.  Then a couple  miles later, when we were about five miles 
from the highway, Scooby and Shaggy  passed me and the dog went with them.
 
When I arrived at the highway, Scooby and Shaggy had hitched a ride to  
Tehachapi.  There were other hikers already camped there and the dog  wouldn't come 
close to camp.  The next morning we all hitched down into  Mohave to White's 
Motel.  I ran into Snowman at White's Motel.  We  shared a room.  The next 
morning we got a ride back to the highway to hike  over to Highway 58.  Arriving 
at Highway 58, Yogi, Kimber and Cesar,  Batteries, and Garlic Man were just 
ahead of us and there was the dog.   While we were waiting for the ride to pick 
us up and take us back to White's  Motel, we were trying to capture the dog.  
He would circle us but not come  close.  We were all sitting on the ground 
while this was going on.   Finally, the dog came close and allowed me to pet her. 
 Batteries gave me a  small rope to put over her head.  I felt the dog was 
saying Hurray, I'm  finally saved.
 
One of the hikers called Saufley's from the motel who came and picked her  
up.  She is now at their house with a new name of Nally.
 
Stretch