Injured Dog Carried Across 'Extremely Treacherous' Terrain In CT Park

HAMDEN, CT — A group of officials and civilians banded together Wednesday to carry a dog injured at Sleeping Giant State Park to safety on a stretcher.

The team — made up of Hamden firefighters Mike Onofrio and J.P. Christini, Animal Control officers Barbara Godejohn and Sarah Roberts, the dog's owner, and a good samaritan named Brian Schacht — joined forces to help rescue the dog.

In an update Friday morning, Hamden Animal Control officials said the dog wasn’t injured on the trails, but was bitten by a copperhead snake.

“He was administered anti-venom and is being monitored,” officials wrote in a post on Facebook. “Let's all hope for a full recovery. This is just a reminder to be careful out there, there are Northern Copperheads at Sleeping Giant. Their habitat includes rocky hillsides, open woods, as well as edges of swamps and meadows. BE SAFE EVERYONE! We sometimes forget we do have two venomous species of snakes here in CT.”

"The terrain was extremely treacherous," Hamden Animal Control wrote. "Thank you goes out to the two firefighters who did most of the carrying."