Finding Annie
Zach Barriga likes to hike the high peaks of the Catskill Mountains and he's never alone. On every adventure, his best friend Annie tags along. Annie is a dog who loves a good adventure and recently got more than she bargained for.
(NEWS10) -- Zach Barriga likes to hike the high peaks of the Catskill Mountains, and he's never alone. On every adventure, his best friend Annie tags along. Annie is a dog who loves a good adventure and recently got more than she bargained for.
"We were coming back from a 14-mile hike near Round Top when I slipped on some ice and fell down a small cliff," Zach said.
Zach was okay, but Annie was on the cliff above him, and he couldn't reach her.
'My phone rang, and it was Zach," his father John Barriga said. "I could tell in his voice that something was wrong."
Zach explained that he was separated from Annie and couldn't get to her.
"On top of that, he tells me he's down to just three percent charge on his phone, he has no flashlight, he's wet and it's getting dark."
Zach had to leave Annie in the cold dark rain on top of a mountain to run home to rest and dress for the elements. After only an hour or two of sleep, he went back up to look for Annie. For the next two days and nights, Zach looked across the ever-widening mountain range. Meanwhile, his father reached out on social media looking for help.
"People were amazing, many driving up to the various trails in the Catskills and calling Annie's name."
One of the people who heard the call for help was Justin Vickers, the owner of Upstate Thermal Drone Services. His state-of-the-art drone can fly in almost any condition, and he drove from more than an hour away to meet Zach and try to help him find Annie.
"When I saw how big the mountains were, I have to admit, I was intimidated," Vickers said.
Despite the low odds, Vickers hiked up the mountain with Zach and put the drone in the air to began searching. A couple of hours later, he spotted a small black dot next to a stream.
"I told them it could be the missing dog or it could be a small black bear. We have those in these mountains," Vickers said.
After hiking for an hour toward the black dot, Zach finally reached the dot, and it was his beloved friend Annie. She was cut up, dirty and down a few pounds, but okay.
"When Zach called to tell me they found her and she was alive, all I could say was thank God," Zach's father said.
It took some time to get Annie back down off the mountain and a couple of weeks for her to heal. Turns out both she and Zach had lost several pounds during the time she was lost and Zach was searching for her.
"If you measure from the time I started searching until I found her, I walked 53 miles through the mountains, total," Zach said.
That's the equivalent of running two marathons in a row on almost no sleep and under dangerous conditions.
Annie is hiking again with Zach but is sticking right to his side like glue. She's also wearing a special tracking device on her collar so if she ever gets separated again, Zach will know exactly where she is.
"I'm so grateful for everyone's help," Zach said.
Adding, "She's my best friend. I'm so grateful to have her home."