A 12 year old Boy Scout in Hawaii helped rescue a local couple and their 100-pound dog on the Waimano Trail and is now being recognized for his efforts. The couple apparently took a wrong turn on a short hike and got lost. It was getting dark and with no food or water they found their cellphone was dead...and their dog Smokey was hurt and couldn't walk. They had not seen anyone for hours until they ran into 12-year-old David King and his mom, Christine
JD had tried to carry Smokey on his back, but the blue pitbull was too heavy — that was when David’s training kicked in. "We built them a stretcher using a big tree branch that we broke in half and used our shirts and slid it on using the armholes to fit the sticks through," David explained.
"It was his idea to make the stretcher. We didn’t think it would work because we didn’t think the dog would get onto the stretcher. Smokey was just very happy to get on the stretcher. We just carried him out," Christine added.
They made it out, and Smokey was able to get his injuries cared for and is now doing well. David said it is a good reminder to be prepared for hitting the trail by packing plenty of food, water and knowing the route.
"Make sure that whenever you’re doing an activity, think of what can go wrong and how you can prevent it," David said.