A black Lab is dead after it two men decided to take the dog on a 7-mile hike through Joshua Tree National park on Saturday afternoon. No pets are permitted on trails in the park.
Hikers reported seeing that the dog was in trouble at 12:45 p.m. at the Cottonwood Visitor Center, according to a release from the national park. Park rangers hiked to the site on the Lost Palms Oasis trail and discovered the dog had died. Officials carried the dog out on a litter.
One of the two men who had taken the dog on the hike, both from Long Beach, also showed signs of heat-related illness.
Joshua Tree National Park does allow pets, but not on the hiking trails. From the release:
Pets are permitted in Joshua Tree National Park, but they may never be taken more than 100 feet (about 30 m) from a road, picnic area, or campground. Pets must be leashed at all times when outside a vehicle and may never be left unattended. Pets are never allowed anywhere in the backcountry, including on hiking trails;the only exception is the paved trail at the Oasis of Mara in Twentynine Palms.
The temperature on the trail Saturday was 81 degrees.
