Our dog, Maggie, loves to go hiking. She has climbed Bakers Mountain and South Mountain quite a few times. On Sunday, the weather was perfect for some outside time so we decided to take Maggie to the Blowing Rock and then to Linville Falls.
When we arrived at the Blowing Rock, the weather was breezy and cool. The sun was shining brightly and the skies were clear blue. Maggie enjoyed climbing on the rocks and walking along the paths. She also enjoyed a sausage biscuit and a cup of water.
After our warm up at the Blowing Rock, we headed up the mountain to Linville Falls. This was Maggie’s first trip. I thought something was a little strange when we arrived at the parking area at the Falls. Usually Maggie is the one pulling the leash holder where ever we go. I just thought she was a little tired from Blowing Rock.
We took it slow as we walked down to the first overlook. The path was muddy from the previous snow and we were trying not to get too muddy. As we got to the overlook, Maggie found a spot to rest while we admired the scenery. She was panting but that was nothing unusual.
We decided to hike to the next overlook which was an uphill climb. Again we took it slow because the path was muddy. We got halfway to the other overlook when we stopped for a moment to catch our breaths. It was starting to get warm now.
Maggie sat down in front of us and the next thing we know, she yelped and fell over. She was having a seizure. All I could do was go into “mom” mode, telling my husband not to panic, that she would be ok. My daughter was also very upset and I had to get her to “get a grip” and help us. Dave and I just kept talking to Maggie, trying to get her to calm down.
Several hikers stopped to offer us assistance. We took some water from one couple who stopped. Maggie didn’t want the water, so we poured some on her fur to cool her down. Another hiker asked if we needed some help carrying her back to the car. Dave thanked him. I knew Dave wouldn’t let anyone else carry her back. I could tell he feared the worst.
After Maggie began responding to our voices, he picked all 85 pounds of her up from the ground, carrying her like an infant. He just kept talking to her. I kept telling my daughter that Maggie was fine and everything would be alright.
Hikers along the path continued to offer assistance and get well soon thoughts. We were halfway to the parking area when I made him stop. He was gasping for air too. A couple from Hickory who recognized Dave stopped to give us a water bowl and offered to carry Maggie the rest of the way. Maggie still didn’t want any water but she looked a little better.
I convinced Dave to let Maggie try to stand up and walk so she could cool down. After a few minutes, he caught his breath and he and Maggie started walking slowly up the trail. Both Dave and Maggie had their color back when we got to the parking area. We decided not to take any chances and headed back to Hickory.
Maggie slept the rest of the way home in the back seat with our daughter. We rode with the windows down so she could feel the cool air. I kept my hand on her side so I could feel her breathing and my husband kept glancing back to make sure she was okay.
Maggie the dog and Dave the dad are doing fine today, showing no visible after effects of Sunday’s events. Although the seizure itself was frightening, the hikers who stopped to help us helped make it not so scary. I don’t know how I could ever express to all of them how grateful we are to them. It is nice to know with all the bad things happening around us, the goodness always outweighs it.
Do you have a good samaritan story? Post it in the comment section or e-mail me at mjzdesigns@yahoo.com. I want to know.
