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When we go hiking with our pets it’s important to remember that they can easily get overheated. That is why we need to pay attention to the signs that they’re getting too warm, bring water with us, and not take them out in temperatures that are too hot.

During a hike up in the hills of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area, the weather was hitting 90 degrees as Lexie Daniel and a group of friends was hitting the trails. While out and about, they noticed that a man’s dog was really struggling with the heat. Even though the group of friends gave up their water, they knew that the dog needed proper help.

Photo: Facebook / Lexie Daniel

As Lexie shared with GNN, the man had a large jug of water with him, but it was not making a difference – the dog needed proper veterinary attention. The owner of the dog was too tired to be able to carry his dog back down the side of the hill.

Fortunately for the concerned group, they were able to get in touch with the park rangers. After telling them where they were on Mount Tammany, the park rangers sent someone to rescue the pup. Pretty soon, Supervisory Park Ranger Kris Salapek managed to locate them on the trail.

Photo: Facebook / Lexie Daniel

He was able to lift up the heavy dog onto his back and carried him down the trail. The distance was quite long according to Lexie, who stated that it was a very rocky road down a couple of miles. Kris was able to get the pooch down to a stream where he placed the dog in the cool water and splashed him down before hoisting him back on his shoulders and continuing on the path. According to Lexie, the whole trip took around an hour.

Her cousin, Tori Matyola, shared, “The owner hiked down ahead of the ranger so that once he got down the mountain he had the car ready to take him straight to the vet.”

Photo: Facebook / Lexie Daniel

She added that the pup was looking somewhat better by the time that they were able to get him to the car.

Lexie is a pediatric nurse from Hackettstown, New Jersey. She was touched by the kindness of the park ranger that she posted about the experience on her Facebook. The post went viral after 35,000 people shared it and praised Kris.

Photo: Facebook / Lexie Daniel

In her post, Lexie wrote, “This is a HERO. We are so lucky to have rangers like this (who) put even animals before themselves. This ranger deserves insane recognition and a standing ovation for his bravery, selflessness, and strength.”

Lexie later followed up the post with an update. As it turned out, Kris had managed to get in touch with the dog’s owner who was happy to announce that the dog had made a full recovery. He was obviously quite grateful to Kris for his assistance on the mountain.