Advertisement

A sheriff’s dog was searching for a hiker. Then crews airlifted the overheated dog

A man, wearing a helmet and goggles, carrying a labrador
A member of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau carries an overheated search-and-rescue dog at Clamshell Peak, where they were looking for a missing hiker in the Angeles National Forest.
(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)
Share via

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department search-and-rescue dog was airlifted this weekend after overheating during efforts to find a missing hiker last seen in Monrovia.

The dog was taken by helicopter out of the Angeles National Forest on Saturday as dangerous heat broiled the region’s mountains and valleys.

The Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau was searching near Clamshell Peak in the national forest for Colin Brian Walker, 53, according to social media posts from the bureau.

Advertisement

Eight days after avid hiker Colin Walker of South Pasadena vanished near a Monrovia trailhead, search and rescue teams are in the San Gabriel Mountains.

July 22, 2023

Sheriff’s officials did not immediately respond Monday to questions about the dog’s condition or where the animal was taken. The initial statement said the special unit would airlift the dog “to safety and provide cooling measures.”

The Special Enforcement Bureau was using unmanned aircrafts to assist in the search this weekend.

Last week, South Pasadena police issued a missing person alert about Walker, who has not been seen or heard from since July 15, when officials believe he left on a hike near a trailhead in Monrovia.

Walker was last seen wearing a gray shirt, dark colored shorts, brown boots, a brown hat and carrying a large green backpack and hiking sticks, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

Advertisement

Officials have repeatedly warned for days about the dangers of strenuous activity in extreme heat.

Advertisement