Embarking on adventurous hikes is often a great way to get some exercise while enjoying nature. However, sometimes hiking can be pretty dangerous, especially if you’re not prepared. So when one man discovered that an injured animal had gotten trapped on top of a mountain in Taiwan, he knew he had to help.
20. Animal Rescuer
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Seán McCormack works as an animal rescuer in Taiwan. He has gone to great lengths to rescue animals in some pretty dire situations. However, his most recent mission caught even him by surprise.
19. Reaching Out
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Many locals in Taiwan knew about McCormack as the independent rescuer of the area. So one woman decided to reach out to him via Facebook about an animal that was in desperate need of help.
18. Needing Help
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The woman that messaged McCormack alerted him to an animal that was in serious need of help. The animal was located in Taroko National Park, so it would be a serious trek for McCormack to track down the animal.
17. Hiking Trip
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The woman explained that she came across a severely malnourished dog in a small mountain village while she was on a hiking trip. The dog was inside of a metal contraption that it was using as a home. However, that wasn’t the worst part…
16. Upsetting
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The most upsetting part was that the woman noticed that the dog was missing one of its front paws. The dog may have lost its paw from a trap and it was obvious that the dog was suffering.
15. Snares
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Unfortunately, traps and snares are all too common throughout Taiwan. “There’s a big problem in Taiwan with traps and snares,” Seán explained. “Most of our rescues are dogs who have been maimed by one of these devices.”
14. Rude Awakening
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After reading about the story, McCormack knew that he had to agree to help this poor dog out. Initially, he planned on driving up to the location, however, he would soon realize that this trip wouldn’t be that simple.
13. Not Car Accessible
“The lady said, ‘It’s a six-hour hike,’ and I thought, ‘There must be a back road. There must be because there’s a guest house there. And Google Maps said I could drive there,’” Seán stated. However, he was very wrong and the dog was not accessible by car.
12. 12-Hour Trip
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Seen soon realized that this trip would be a 12 hours all around. Even though he knew he had a long trek ahead of him, he knew he had to keep his word. There was a dog out there waiting for someone to rescue it.
11. Friends
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However, Seán knew that he couldn’t embark on the trip alone so he brought along some experienced friends. So he spoke to his friend Ross, who is the co-owner of a local trekking company called Taiwan Adventures.
10. Brutal Hike
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“It’s a brutal hike,” Ross said. “It’s not one for beginners, and Seán was in the beginner category. He told me that he hadn’t done anything like that before.” So the two of them embarked on the long road ahead.
9. Giving Up
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It was an extremely hard hike and there were several times when Seán just wanted to give up and go back. However, they kept going and going and fighting against their urge to end the trip. Finally, after 6 hours they reached their destination.
8. Nowhere
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The men were at the exact location where the woman had told them the dog was, however, the dog was nowhere to be found.“We looked in the outside kitchen area, but the dog wasn’t there,” Seán said. “We didn’t say anything to each other, but I know we were both thinking, ‘Oh crap.’”
7. Sudden Appearance
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Then suddenly they discovered the pooch hiding under a bunch of chairs! “Once we saw him, we both just changed our attitudes again—I suddenly had a lot of energy, and Ross was going to get that dog out no matter who complained about it,” said Seán.
6. Hiking Back
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So the men soon began their trip back down the mountain. It was another 6-hour hike but it was well worth it because of how happy the dog, then named Sandy, looked. Sandy remained so calm and collected throughout the entire trip.
5. Vet Visit
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Finally, the men had reached the bottom of the mountain and were able to head back into town. Then Seán brought Sandy to the vet’s office to be looked over. That’s when the vet told them the serious news…
4. Serious
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After looking Sandy over, the vet realized that his wounds on his legs were pretty bad. This meant that Sandy would have to get a portion of his leg amputated. However, the men were relieved when they found out that Sandy would be fitted for prosthetics!
3. Doing Well
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“He’s doing amazingly well,” Seán said. “He was just so happy. He immediately started playing with some of the younger dogs here, and he’s just a very sweet, happy dog.”
2. Reaching Out
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Once word got out about Sandy’s rescue and recovery, everyone began reaching out to Seán. Everyone wanted a chance to adopt Sandy, however, Seán told everyone that Sandy would first have to heal.
1. Forever Home
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Now it won’t be long until Sandy finds her new forever home where he’ll be loved forever! In the meantime he’s recovering and getting healthier for his new family.