Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs

Posted by: Russ

Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 05:14 AM

Quote:
Dog walker Annette Poitras spent more than two days lost in the backcountry of Eagle Mountain in Coquitlam with three dogs
1 cuddled close, 1 was on guard and 1 looked for food: how 3 dogs helped Annette Poitras survive
Quote:
...” “She happened to notice one of the dogs was digging a hole to sleep in,” explained Marcel. “[The undergrowth], it’s very spongy, it soaks up a lot of water. So she started sweeping away all the brush and everything to get down into the dirt and kind of made herself a little well to sleep in. She learned from the dogs.” “...
Posted by: Herman30

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 08:07 AM

Strange, not a single word about how she became lost. That is what I would like to know about, not what the dogs did.
Posted by: adam2

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 11:25 AM

Reading the report, suggests to me that the lady may have been on a familiar dog walking route and not have been truly lost, It seems possible that she knew her location but could not proceed due to injury received as a result of a fall.

So "lost" in the sense that family and rescuers knew not her location.
But "lost" in the sense that victim did not know where she was, perhaps not.

Telephoning for help would the obvious reaction to such circumstances, but unfortunately her cellphone was lost in the fall.

It seem to me that a couple of red hand flares might have been a relatively cheap precaution. The injured lady was unable to attract the attention of rescuers in a helicopter, a red flare would almost certainly have been seen, as would an orange smoke signal.
Posted by: Russ

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 01:11 PM

That’s the way I read it too. She knew where she was but no one else knew. Eagle Mountain is north of Coquitlam, BC and it looks to be heavy forest, so possibly logging roads cut into hillsides, maybe. The best view is at the edge and down you go. You’re not very far from civilization, but if immobile and without a signaling device of some kind, you are lost to the world. (Speculation, but it fits the narrative)
Posted by: dougwalkabout

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 01:28 PM

Links with details:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/b-c-dogwalker-three-dogs-recovering-after-helicopter-rescue-1.3691516

http://nationalpost.com/news/local-news/...be-255acc5f42c3
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 02:38 PM

Fascinating story in the details. As a once-upon-a-time avid SAR volunteer, I am struck by the technology brought to bear in an intensive search these days - heat imaging, cell tower pings, etc.

But it still comes down to the fundamentals - willing boots on the ground and lots of hard work, including background investigation.

The suggestion about road flares is pertinent. Not only a signaling device, they make pretty good fire starters, even in wet conditions. Fires tend to draw the attention of search teams. Always be able to start a fire - signal,warmth, and possibly even a warm cup of coffee...
Posted by: Teslinhiker

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 02:53 PM

Once upon a time, I lived up on Coquitlam Plateau and not far from Eagle and Burke Mountains, so I know that area very well. Lots of speculation and guessing as to how/why etc but the best resource is this AAR from Coquitlam SAR. This was a big search and involved the collective best of the best SAR teams drawn from a very big area.


At 8pm on Monday November 20th Coquitlam SAR was activated by Coquitlam RCMP for missing 56 year old dog walker Annette Poitras on Westwood Plateau in Coquitlam. This search, which began as so many searches we handle, ended three days later with the successful rescue of Annette and the three dogs.

What follows is a short summary of the search and our thanks to all of the people who contributed to the successful outcome.



Edit: Looks like the website is crashing due to overload. I'll see if I can find a cached copy.

Cached copy of the website and report.
Posted by: Russ

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 02:57 PM

Thanks, those two articles show why the 10 Essentials should include both visual and audible signaling gear. Visual signaling under a canopy in heavy rain should include the road flares mentioned because of their heat signature — not LED road flares, the old ones that put out a lot of heat. Starting a fire in a basin during a pineapple express would still be a challenge. The “sound sweeping” referenced shows why a good whistle should be included with any Essentials kit.

Here in SOCAL I’d still go with LED road flare, but we have a higher fire danger here. In a basin during a heavy downpour, starting an accidental wildfire would be highly unlikely.
Posted by: hikermor

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 05:21 PM

I regard the ability to make fire critical, especially in heavy weather. But circumstances change - there are several instances of major forest fires started as distress signals, etc., and there are times and places where a fire is definitely not warranted. It is very unlikely that I would ever light even a campfire on any of the Channel Islands (SOCAL).That is a place where a signal mirror really shines (!).

When the forecast is for heavy weather, skip the bush craft routine and carry some sort of petroleum/alcohol fueled stove. they are well worth the additional weight and can easily be life saving. I've got the war stories to make that point....
Posted by: Teslinhiker

Re: Dog walker survived days in BC with three dogs - 11/25/17 06:06 PM

Not too many people carry road flares around here and with the extreme torrential rain we have had for the past weeks, it is doubtful that I could even start a fire, let alone an inexperienced person.

However, having a whistle is always a good idea - but around here, people don't think that veering off of established rails within sight of city skylines is a requirement for a whistle, let alone any other essentials.

This area is blessed - and cursed for it's environment that allows a person to be in the wild in a very short time and enjoying nature, but one can easily run into trouble in seconds.

This image is of the Vancouver area and as you can see, the mountains and potential dangers are on our door step. The area where the person was found is probably less then 8 or so miles off to the right of this image and I now live about about 45 minutes driving time to the SSE from there.