This Hero Dog Saved a Man's Life After His Snowmobile Crashed

Meet Amber, hero dog and loyal, loving companion. She is credited for saving the life of her owner after a snowmobile crash left him stranded in the woods for more than 26 hours.

Otis Orth, 52, was snowmobiling in Trapper Creek, Alaska when he crashed. The accident left him immobilized and seriously injured, according to the Anchorage Daily News:

It was midnight, well below freezing, and Otis Orth was lying on his back on the icy ground off a forest trail. He
couldn’t move. A snowmachine crash Sunday afternoon west of the Mat-Su
Borough community of Trapper Creek left him with a neck injury and
dislocated limbs. For hours, he lay there waiting for help, moving his
legs and feet to keep warm. As temperatures dropped to nine degrees,
hypothermia took hold.

Orth said Amber saved his life by keeping him warm overnight, doing what most us know our dogs will instinctively do—stay next to you pretty much no matter what.

His dog, Amber, a 2-year-old golden retriever
lay next to him with her head and paws over his stomach, keeping him
from losing further body heat. He forced himself to stay awake. The next
day, it was Amber who alerted passing snowmachiners that Orth needed
help.

“I owe that dog my life,” Orth said. He suffered an injured neck and frostbite in his toes, among other injuries. But it could have been a lot worse without Amber.

Now, we all have something in our eyes. I know. It’s OK. I’ll give everyone a moment.