Zak Anderegg was hiking on a solo holiday in a remote desert region of Utah when he found a severely emaciated puppy desperately clinging to life. He found the puppy abandoned at bottom of a 350 foot canyon alone.
Zak, a former United States Marine sergeant, was determined not to leave the puppy behind and set out to rescue him.
Zak and his wife Michelle ended up adopting the puppy they named Riley. Riley recently celebrated his birthday and Zak wrote about what life has been like since that fateful day:
“On the morning of June 20, 2010 I found Riley waiting for me in the bottom of a canyon. I call that day his “re-birthday” because a new life began for him that day. How he got there I’ll never know. I just know that since that day, my life has never been the same. He has become a cherished member of our family. He is without a doubt one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever known…He carries no pain from his experience in that canyon, only enthusiasm for the next adventure. He is a wonderful teacher.”
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