A retired avalanche rescue dog was rescued himself last week after an community effort to find him when he became lost, and islanders then rallied to get the dog the medical help he needed.

Hoss, a large, white-muzzled golden retriever wandered off last week and was found by his owner, Kevin Ward, after six days of tireless searching with a team of friends, neighbors and volunteers, spearheaded by Vashon Island Pet Protectors (VIPP).

“The support we had from this group and all of the amazing volunteers is what kept us going,” Ward said.

Ward and Hoss, who is now 12, worked together as part of Washington’s Backcountry Avalanche Rescue K9s (BARK) team at Alpental for years. Ward, a ski patroller, began training Hoss for certification as an avalanche rescue dog not long after he brought him home as a puppy. Hoss was fully certified by the time he was 3, and at that time was just the seventh avalanche rescue dog in the state.

“Before I picked him, I had read a book that described the characteristics of good working dogs,” Ward said. “and I saw those in Hoss.”

While it’s rare for people to survive avalanches, the BARK teams are always training because they have to try, Ward said, and victim recovery is just as important. Hoss never located any live avalanche victims, but participated in a number of searches.

“The dogs are ready to go out and do what they’re trained to do,” Ward said. “There’s always that possibility, even if it’s small.”

After about a decade of searching for people in the snow and “reading” the air for clues with his nose, Hoss retired at the beginning of last winter.

“We really wanted his golden years to be golden,” Ward said. “It’s a hard job.”

On Monday of last week, however, retirement took a rough turn for Hoss when he didn’t come home after heading out on his own. Citing the fact that Hoss never missed a meal, Ward knew something was wrong.

By the third day, after Ward and friends had searched to no avail, VIPP  came out in full force with volunteers to help find him.

“I knew from the things Kevin told me about Hoss, how this was completely out of character for him and just from how worried he was, that we needed to get on this,” said Amy Carey, a VIPP volunteer who helps with lost and found dogs.

The fact that there were slopes on the property was also a red flag, Carey said, as it is not uncommon for dogs to get stuck on the steep inclines.

“We had people out there the next day, and probably about a dozen or so volunteers over the course of the week,” Carey said. “This is such a remarkable community of people willing to help and give their time.”

But as days wore on with no sign of Hoss, Ward said it was getting harder for him, his wife and his young children to stay positive.

“I started to hate my house and my property, I felt like we were failing him,” he said.

But Sunday, almost seven days since Hoss had disappeared, at the suggestion of his wife, Ward searched an area of their property that hadn’t been searched since the first day.

It was there, on a steep slope dense with trees and salal, that Ward caught a glimpse of a golden paw. Hoss was stuck in very soft dirt on the incline, unable to pull himself out. Ward immediately called his wife and Carey, who called Vashon Island Fire & Rescue, where officials in the past have been able to rescue dogs from rough terrain.

“We get these calls a couple of times a year,” said Assistant Chief Bob Larsen, who assisted with Hoss’ rescue. “We’ve pulled dogs out of culverts, off of steep hillsides and even two dogs from a well.”

Hoss, who was so weak he couldn’t lift his head to drink, was placed in a sling and pulled to safety and into the arms of his family.

He was treated at Fair Isle Animal Clinic for severe dehydration, and a veterinarian there concerned about Hoss’ condition suggested that the Wards take him to Summit Veterinary Referral Center in Tacoma, which offers 24-hour care.

But Summit clinic is very expensive and the Wards were not in a financial position to send him there.

Cindy Koch, an islander and staunch VIPP supporter, said that she received a phone call from Fair Isle, where a staff member she knew explained the situation and asked if she could help.

“I said ‘Of course I can,’” Koch explained with a laugh. “I called Summit and gave them my credit card.”

Hoss was moved to Summit, but in another twist to his story, was discovered at the clinic to have a large tumor on one of his kidneys. Given Hoss’ age and an estimated surgery cost of about $5,000, the Wards felt it was perhaps time to say goodbye to the golden retriever.

Koch, however, called VIPP to discuss the possibility of sharing the costs of both the current treatment as well as the surgery to remove the tumor. VIPP agreed to help, with an amount well above their standard $100 limit.

“These were extraordinary circumstances,” noted Geoff Fletcher, president of VIPP. VIPP is now accepting donations for Hoss’ medical bill through what it calls its Angel Fund.

After determining that Hoss had no other tumors, the staff at Summit told the Wards that removing the one kidney would likely allow Hoss to enjoy his retirement longer. They also offered to cap the surgery at $4,000. With Koch’s enthusiastic blessing and approval of the charges, the Wards decided Hoss would have the surgery.

“I couldn’t not do it,” Koch said of her donation. “I love these animals. He has worked for years and done his job. Not to do this would be unthinkable.”

For its part, VIPP is considering the idea of maintaining the Angel Fund even after Hoss’ expenses are taken care of.

“It’s an idea. We’d like to be able to continue to help others with extraordinary circumstances in the future,” Fletcher said. “But at the moment, it’s just something we’re talking about.”

With Hoss now home and recuperating, Ward says he can’t adequately express his gratitude and appreciation for all those that helped bring him home.

“VIPP and Cindy, Amy, everyone who came out to help, our neighbors and friends … they are really the heroes here.”