On Saturday, Brett Peterson and his 17-year-old son were hiking the Island Lake Trail in Summit County, Utah, when their 80-pound dog, Otis, collapsed from torn paw pads. Stuck four miles from their car, they were unsure how they could carry their Otis back down the trail. Out of desperation, Peterson went to a nearby campsite looking for help. There he found Jeff Eaves and a group of young boys from the LDS Church.
Without hesitation, the boys, who are all between the ages of 11 and 14, fashioned a stretcher from a tarp and two dead trees, and began the difficult task of transporting Otis down the trail. The boys took turns carrying the stretcher until they couldn’t go any further. Fortunately, right then a few adult leaders from the church showed up to lend a hand.
At the end of the day, a grateful Peterson praised the boys' selflessness in helping to get Otis back to their car. He joked that the pup had been "treated like Cleopatra." Eaves was struck by the number of people willing to help, but he was especially impressed with the boys’ willingness to pitch in. "They were willing to carry another person's burden, even though the path was rocky, steep and difficult,” Eaves says, “They never complained; they just kept going and giving their best. I was super proud of them."
Source: KSL