Bobby White, 22, and Josh Trujillo, 22, both students at the Colorado School of Mines, were spending their Boxing Day skiing at Berthoud Pass in Colorado, when they saw the first signs of an avalanche occurring a mere 1500 ft away. 

Bobby said: "We were skiing more mellow terrain where the slopes aren’t steep enough to slide when we witnessed a large avalanche on a different slope around 1500 feet from us."

All humans were accounted for, but one was still missing - a dog, named Apollo, who was swept up in a sea of snow and caught and buried in a debris field approximately 300 yards long and 50 yards wide. 

Bobby and Josh assisted the dog’s owner, striking their 8 foot probe poles through the snow hoping to find the buried dog. 

"We searched for about 20 mins which is around the time that chance of survival starts to become very slim and made the decision to abandon the search due to our own safety since there was a chance that the slope could slide again above us. 

That is when Josh found the dog in the snow through a little tunnel the dogs snout had melted to the surface allowing him to breath."

After a few minutes of digging, the dog emerges from the depths of the snow, showing no signs of trauma other than an injured leg. 

Apollo’s owner thanked the two gentlemen profusely, calling them “heroes”.

Apollo and his owner had mistakenly veered off course to a steeper terrain more susceptible to avalanches. Apollo found his way to a rocky slope, triggering the snow.

According to the Utah Avalanche Centre, 93% of avalanche victims can be recovered alive if they are dug out within the first fifteen minutes. After that, the survival rate drops considerably.

Apollo is one lucky dog.

ENDS