Severe leg injury

Greyhound “Fritz” Had to Be Rescued from the Mountain

“Fritz,” who weighed about 20 kilograms, had to be carried down to the valley on a stretcher(Bild: Bergrettung Spital/Pyhrn)

A mountain hike by a group of six tourists—a couple with four dogs—ended in a mountain rescue operation on Friday. The greyhound “Fritz” suffered an open ankle fracture. Because he was too heavy for his owners to carry, mountain rescuers had to bring him down to the valley; a veterinarian had also climbed up to attend to him. 

Although greyhounds look very light, they do have a certain amount of weight—in this case, about 20 kilograms—which can pose a real problem in the mountains. A couple of vacationers (53, 51) from Luxembourg found this out the hard way on Friday. The tourists had set out on a hike to the Seespitz (1,594 meters) in the Totes Gebirge on Friday.

Carrying Him Was Too Dangerous
The mishap occurred during the descent: the greyhound “Fritz” fell and suffered an open fracture of the hock. At first, the owners tried to carry the animal down into the valley, but the risk of further injury was too great, so they alerted mountain rescue. 

Two veterinarians on the scene
Eight rescuers from the Spital am Pyhrn station immediately set out to reach the tourists, who were at an altitude of about 1,250 meters. A veterinarian was also called in and climbed up to the vacationers along with a colleague and members of the Alpine police. 

Second dog carried down
Because “Fritz’s” injury was so severe, the greyhound was safely carried down to the valley on a stretcher using towels after receiving an IV. A second dog was ultimately carried by the mountain rescuers after all: he had apparently gone into shock. Around 8:30 p.m., the group reached the parking lot at Gleinkersee. The injured dog was taken to the veterinary clinic in Sattledt.