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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]After reading through all the information, it doesn't sound like they intended to do a day long hike. And if the dog didn't have protection for it's feet, Jonathan probably found himself trying to carry the dog AND the baby. With the scorching temperatures, he reached a point where he simply couldn't go any further. He was probably also developing heat stroke. And that's why he was found in the sitting position with the dog and baby next to him.
Then his wife was also succumbing to heat stroke. I gather they were trying to stick together as a group, but when Jonathan couldn't go any further she ventured ahead to seek help. Maybe due to her health issues she couldn't take the baby with her. By then it was too late. Soon after she also collapsed.
Very heartbreaking and tragic.[/quote]

I think this is right, and I’ve been posting on this thread since the 3rd page.

At the end, sticking together is what killed them. At a certain point, you need to ditch the “fur baby” if you’re struggling to physically save yourself or a child. I know it’s terrible, but the best course of action was to leave the dog behind tied up in a shady location. That older dog with the heavy fur likely began having trouble first, either thru burned paws or heat exhaustion. I’m willing to bet money on it. They then killed themselves struggling to help the dog.

Had they managed to get back to safety and cell phone reception, they could’ve called the park service and gotten the fire gate unlocked. The rancher could then drive the fire road to rescue the dog.

I think the big story here is that people need to be a lot more careful when taking their pets on outdoor adventures. If something bad happens, you need to face the fact that you may be put in a situation where you will need to sacrifice your animal. This recently happened to a friend of mine who was involved in a sinking sailboat incident off the coast of California - his dog was left on the boat and lost at sea.[/quote]

+1[/quote]
+ 1 again...The consensus seems to be zeroing on the heatstroke theory, and there is still speculation about in which order the family passed away. Although we don't know yet, many people have commented on how the dog was likely put under severe strain because of fur, paws, and potentially other factors (age, ingestion of river water w/potential toxins). If the dog started suffering and couldn't walk, the family would have instinctively sought to rescue it, using up their energy, time, etc. and causing them to exert themselves even more under intense conditions.

This is not to wade into the debate about whether it's all right to let a pet die. As the PP is saying, you may be forced to choose between trying (likely unsuccessfully) to save your pet, and saving your own life. 
An earlier PP quoted the description of the trail which included something like... "and it is good for dogs." The family might have thought, "great idea--we'd love our dog's companionship on the hike."  Yet they may likely have not realized the risks. Even if the above theories end up not being the cause/order of death, the comments about how hard a hike like this is for dogs have been eye-opening for me. It's very risky to take dogs along on things like this. PP, I'm sorry about your friend's dog, but glad your friend survived.[/quote]

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