Carrying a hurt dog down the mountain to safety.

Tia Vargas and her father go hiking every year, and this year's trip was up to Table Rock in the Grand Tetons in early July. Vargas was about a mile down the trail with her father, just below the 11,000-foot summit, when she came across a distraught family of hikers who had discovered an injured English springer spaniel.

They couldn't locate the limping dog's owner, and Vargas reasoned that it would be better for her to take the pup to safety because the family had children with them.

Vargas, a single mother of three from Idaho Falls, Idaho, tells MNN, "I had to crawl under him to get him up on my shoulders." "I could tell it was going to be challenging right away. I'd never felt like I weighed 55 pounds before."

Vargas soon ran into her father, Ted Kasper, who snapped a picture of his daughter walking down the trail with a dog on her shoulders.

"'Isn't this hike difficult enough?' Dad joked. 'Do you have to bring a dog with you as well?'" Vargas reminisces. "My father always makes me laugh. He is a truly remarkable individual."

Vargas credits her sense of humour with helping her get through the ordeal of walking the big dog down the steep trail. The journey was difficult and at times almost impossible.

"It was painful for me to lay him down so I could relax. And it was painful and challenging every time I got down on my knees to bring my head under his belly and try to raise him with my neck and body strength. On the way down, I expected to see people on the trail who might assist us. That was not the case, but "she explains.

Snow and fallen trees obliterated the trail twice, causing the trio to become disoriented. Vargas says, "I even lost my father once, and that made me feel lonely in this." "He was a great source of support to me."

Vargas didn't want to be left alone, so Kasper offered to run down the trail and try to find help. Vargas realized she would not be able to continue around halfway down the trail. They were lost at the time, and it had begun to rain.

"Once, the idea of stopping occurred to me. My legs ached and were trembling "she explains. "When I was about to give up, I prayed. My power came from prayer. It's that, and my father's jokes. He made me laugh, which gave me a boost of energy. And seeing the angels take the dog off my neck gave me the strength I needed to keep going."

Vargas eventually hiked six miles to the trail's end, where he discovered a small note that read, "Lost dog named Boomer, call this number."

Boomer was presumed dead when she called the owners. Boomer had fallen a 100-foot cliff and rolled 200 feet the day before while hiking with them. He was gone when his family hurried down to find him. Boomer had spent one night out there, alone and injured, as they searched for him until dark.

"I was ecstatic to hear them their dog was still alive," says Vargas. "Dad and I were both looking forward to seeing their reaction."

Boomer was loved by the family, but they were moving to Arizona and wouldn't be able to take him with them. They had a family lined up to adopt him, but after hearing Vargas' amazing story, they reluctantly agreed to let her adopt him instead.

Boomer had only bumps, bruises, and scratches from his big fall, as well as a dislocated joint and torn ligaments in his leg, according to a trip to the vet. Boomer is now in a cast while his new family waits to see if the joint will recover on its own without the need for surgery.

According to Vargas, the 4-year-old puppy enjoys doing tricks and having his belly rubbed. He is always wanting to put his head in her lap as he explores and smells everything. Vargas, a substitute teacher, Zumba coach, and jewelry seller, created a Facebook page for Boomer because so many people are interested in his story.

"He is a full-fledged member of the family. His demeanor is ideal for my family and the kids. We're just crazy about him "Vargas explains. "They pleaded with me for a puppy, and I was concerned because it would take a lot of time and effort. I'd been telling them no for a long time. And I told them that if we had a puppy, it had to be dropped in my lap and trained right away. And he is all of those things, as well as a lot more. He's been one of my children."