Instinct, Love Makes Idaho Man Plunge Into Scalding Hot Spring To Save His Dogs

Dog owners will do anything for their pets, including risking their lives to keep them safe. That’s what an Idaho man did last week, though sadly, his heroic and instinctive efforts to save his dogs’ lives ended in tragedy.

Paden McCormic was hiking in the Salmon-Challis National Forest with his wife and two dogs, Dexter and Dahlia, last week when they came upon a hot spring called Panther Creek, KLIX reported.

The hot spring is usually tepid enough to swim in, but it’s advisable to test the temperature first before swimming. Dexter and Dahlia, however, were far too excited when they came upon the pool of water.

And they jumped right in before their owner could make sure it was safe.

What they and Paden didn’t know was that the hot spring was scalding, Reuters reported. One of his dogs burned to death immediately, and Paden instinctively jumped in himself to save the other.

That dog survived for a time, but was badly burned. He died later after being taken to a vet for emergency treatment. A firefighting crew was luckily in the area and able to rush to McCormic’s side — they called for a helicopter and he was swiftly taken to the hospital.

His injuries are severe: third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body. Now, he’s facing a very long road to recovery, added KLIX.

County Sheriff Chief Deputy Steve Penner told the Idaho Statesman that Panther Creek‘s water can get up to 180 degrees and the temperatures have spiked this summer.

The scalding temperatures that burned Paden and killed his dogs are unusual. A spokesman told Reuters the increase in temperature may have been caused by drought conditions. Water flows usually mix with groundwater that is heated geothermally. The drought may have curbed that flow.

Because Panther Creek is quite remote and undeveloped, the forest service doesn’t plan to post any signs, but they have issued a statement warning the public that the hot spring may be too unsafe for people and animals. The incident with McCormic and his dogs is the first ever at the hot spring in Salmon-Challis’ 107-year history, said district ranger Ken Gebhardt.

“The forest is very interested in doing what it can to better inform the public about this accident in hopes of preventing another tragedy.”

[Photo Courtesy S Curtis / Shutterstock]