Injured Dogs at Gem Lake
June 23, 2025 - Mono County Sheriff's Office officials report that on Wednesday, June 18th, at 8:30 P.M. (0830 hours), the Sheriff’s Office received a call for assistance from a party of five with three dogs located at the Gem Lake Dam. They reported that one of their dogs had sustained injuries to all four paw pads from traveling over talus and rough trails without protection, and they were unable to exit the backcountry without assistance. The Team was paged out after careful deliberation, as it was determined that the situation met the threshold for potential harm to human life if they attempted to evacuate their injured dog(s) unassisted.
Rescue Base was established at the Silver Lake boat launch. Rescue Operations deployed three field teams: a primary team of five, a second team of two, and a solo member to operate a radio relay. Team One carried a litter, wheel, and medical supplies for both the humans and the dogs. Teams Two and Three brought supplemental equipment.
The subjects were met at Gem Lake Dam, where it was determined that all three dogs required medical attention. After treatment—which included cleaning and bandaging wounds and applying booties to protect their pads—the dogs were able to begin walking out under their own power. Roughly a mile from the outlet of Agnew, one of the dogs, the oldest at 12 years, required transport in the litter. After a long trek down, all field teams and subjects returned to base. The owners were advised to follow up with further veterinary care.
The operation terminated at 5:15 P.M. (1715 hours).
IC: Rhoads // Ops: Quiring // Responders: Buchanan, Quiring, Arndt, Barker, Huizingh, Wallace, Kelly, Baron, Ackerman, Knight (10)
Volunteer hours: 94.2
Our 501(c)3 team is made up entirely of unpaid community members volunteering their own time and primarily their own equipment. We rely on donations to fund team equipment, higher level rescue and medical training, and facilities maintenance.
To learn more about our all-volunteer team and to support our efforts, please visit: https://www.monosar.org/donate.
Source & photos: Mono County Sheriff's Office
