A golden retriever has successfully summited Aconcagua, at just
under 7,000 metres, the highest mountain in the western
hemisphere.
Rubia, a two-year search and rescue dog, was equipped with boots,
goggles, and a snowsuit and accompanied by two Spanish climbers. But
before you start training your own mutt for a trip to the Andes,
Rubia was only allowed on the mountain because she was taking part in
a study of how rescue dogs peform at very high altitudes.
She was roped to her - human - climbing partners at all times,
presumably to prevent her from chasing llamas...
And the results? "The dog would react and recover better than we
would," one of Rubia's fellow climbers told the BBC.
For more doggy details, see this
story on the excellent Outside magazine site.
Cheery US brand Life Is Good haven't forgotten about your canine compadre :-)
