Hike Is No Walk in the Park for Hapless Dog

As dogs go, Rottweilers are tough. But Choloe, a 6-year-old from West Los Angeles, was no match for the rugged terrain of Santa Paula Canyon.

His paws burned by hot rocks, Choloe was stranded overnight with his owner in a remote area off California 150, a couple of miles northeast of Thomas Aquinas College, until his rescue Monday by firefighters.

Carried part of the way back by rescuers on a stretcher, the 110-pound dog recovered enough to finish the hike about 12:30 p.m. Monday--each paw wrapped in bandages and duct tape.

Choloe, panting heavily and wet from a swim in a stream on his way out of the canyon, immediately sought shade beneath an avocado tree, near where the firefighters’ truck was waiting, about two miles from Highway 150. “Duct tape, man, it just heals everything,” said Firefighter Glen Renner.

The adventure began Sunday when Choloe’s owner, Harlan Clark, 28, his friend Sean Kelley, 26, and the dog took a short hike to the Punch Bowl, a popular swimming hole between Ojai and Santa Paula, behind Thomas Aquinas College.

Worried that Choloe could not make the hike out when his paws became injured, Clark sent Kelley for help about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Kelley says he called 911 several times from Santa Paula but was repeatedly told by county sheriff’s officials that no personnel could be sent to rescue the dog. While Kelley spent Sunday night with his father in Moorpark, Clark stayed with Choloe overnight.

Expecting only a day hike, Clark and Kelley had packed only food for lunch and some water--plus a little dog food. Clark had just a towel and a T-shirt to keep him warm Monday night.

“We didn’t think we’d be up there all night,” he said. Early Monday morning, Clark left Choloe and met up with Kelley who had returned to help. The two men went to call for help at Thomas Aquinas College, near the entrance to the trail they had taken the day before.

Because vehicle access to the trail and Punch Bowl area is limited, the three firefighters from the Upper Ojai station had to park their truck and walk more than two miles. When the firefighters reached the dog, they washed the pads of Choloe’s paws and lightly bandaged them. Duct tape kept the bandages in place.

All told, the Fire Department spent several hours--at an estimated cost of $350--to rescue the dog, said Sandi Wells, the department’s chief information officer. As with any rescue operation, the department will consider seeking reimbursement from the dog’s owner, Wells said.

While Clark and Kelley said they appreciated the county Fire Department’s help, they criticized the Sheriff’s Department for not responding to their initial calls Sunday. Kelley said that after calling 911 several times, he was advised to go back and tell Clark to hike out without his dog.

Sheriff’s Sgt. John Hoelker said Monday that although he could not confirm what dispatchers told Kelley, he said Choloe’s companions should have cared for the dog themselves.

“When we gave him [Kelley] several options, he did not pursue any of them,” Hoelker said. “The owner needs to take some responsibility rather than shifting the blame.”

Sunday’s adventure was Choloe’s first foray from the big city to the Punch Bowl--and, according to Clark, “probably the last.”