Three Great Pyrenees puppies are recovering after two snowmobilers rescued them Sunday in Utah, and will be adopted out through a rescue group in Montana.
Kat Perry and Corey Holt were snowmobiling when they spotted a dog five miles away from the nearest paved road on Saturday.
They went back up on the mountain on Sunday and found a mother and three puppies living in a sheep carcass - cold and wet.
Kat posted on Facebook : "when corey and I were sledding on monte we came across a great pyrenees mama dog that had recently had pups. We tried to get close but we had no food to tempt her. She was having no part of us... so anyway...we went back today with food and a crate. I found her and 3 pups almost 3 miles from where she was yesterday. Loooong story short...weber county search and rescue helped out with a sleigh and we were able to get the puppies off the mountain. They are about 7 wks old. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch the mom. We had to leave her behind. There is another group going up tomorrow to try again."
Investigators believe the mother was protecting a flock of sheep on the mountain over the summer, which is typical for the Great Pyrenees breed. When the rancher went to collect the herd, they believe, the dog had gone off to have the litter. "They were living in a sheep carcass. She had found a dead sheep and they had eaten, there was nothing left, just a little bit of wool and a few big bones. I'm sure that's what she'd been eating on all fall," Perry said.
They were able to save the puppies, but the mother dog was too wild to trust her rescuers. They left 20 pounds of dog food for her.
Two males and a female survived, likely from a much larger litter. The couple is considering keeping one pup, who they have named Polar, as volunteers search for their mother.
The puppies will be adopted out through a Great Pyrenees rescue group based in Hamilton; the rescue group posted on Facebook:
***For those of you referred to us about the 3 puppies found in Utah, we have more than enough applications to take care of them. We ask that you do not attempt to phone us - if things change and we need more applications we will post it. For now PLEASE just consider the other dogs and pups that we have listed OR visit your local shelter. They are overflowing.***
