“I was really afraid she’d freak out and squirm right at the worst possible time, putting my life at risk,” Sergio Florian tells Inside Edition.
A man hiking in Hawaii rescued an emaciated dog stuck near a 1,000-foot peak.
Sergio Florian, a 44-year-old marathon runner, trains by climbing up and down a mountain on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. On one evening run, he encountered a terrified dog unable to come down by herself.
“I was floored. I was just taken by surprise,” Florian tells Inside Edition. “She was just shivering. One eye was shut.”
Florian carried the 45-pound dog down the mountain.
“I knew right away that I needed to get her down and I know that I could,” Florian says.
Florian is a world-class runner and biker.
“I was able to hook her under one arm while I was scaling the cliff with the other arm and kind of having her wedged against me and resting on me,” he says.
Florian had one major concern as they made their way down the mountain.
“I was really afraid she’d freak out and squirm right at the worst possible time, putting my life at risk,” he says.
After 45 minutes, Florian and the dog made it to the bottom of the mountain safely.
When news spread that Florian had rescued the dog, the owner came forward. The dog, named Stevie, was reunited with her owner and at home.
The owner is staying private but Florian says he thanked him for saving Stevie.
