Heroic husky saves skier's life by digging him out of the snow and fetching help after owner was paralyzed in fall

Five-year-old dog laid on Leonard Somers to keep him warm after accident

Husky later led rescue party to owner after hearing voices in the distance

A cross country skier who broke his back in an accident on a Colorado slope was saved by his husky who kept him warm before running for help.



Leonard Somers was enjoying a back-country skiing trip with his dog, Juneau, last month when he fell and pierced his neck on the frozen roots of a dead tree.



Unable to move his arm or legs, and with snow covering him, Mr Somers could have died had it not been for his five-year-old dog.



Lucky to be alive: Cross country skier Leonard Somers says his husky Juneau saved his life

Mountain rescue: Leonard Somers with Juneau the husky, who raised the alarm after a ski accident

The husky dug the snow away from his owner's face, and laid on his body to keep him warm for more than 45 minutes, before running to get help when Mr Somers heard a group of skiers passing by.

'Without Juneau here I would probably not be alive today,' Mr Somers told Fox 29.

The experienced skier dislocated his vertebra in the accident and has been left in a wheelchair since the accident on November 2.



He had been skiing on Colorado's Berthoud Pass with his nephew Ryan Bame, when the pair became separated as it started to get dark.



Mr Somers then fell into a ravine, where a frozen tree punctured his vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed.



'I tried to yell for help but when I dislocated my vertebrae, I'd lost my voice quite a bit,' Mr Somers said.

Fortunately, his loyal dog refused to leave his side. ' She came up and started helping me dig the snow away from my face. She was laying on top of me the whole time kind of looking at me like "What can I do to help",' he said.



Animal hero: Juneau helped dig snow away from Leonard Somers and laid on him to keep him warm Man's best friend: Leonard Somers with his husky, Juneau, who saved his life after a ski accident

Danger: Leonard Somers has been left paralyzed after falling during a ski trip to the Berthoud Pass

Eventually he heard another ski party in the distance and sent Juneau to find them. The group of skiers had a dog with them, and Juneau managed to get it to follow her back to Mr Somers, forcing its owners to follow.



'I first saw the dog by himself and then he headed over to where Leonard was,' Jenny Beltman, who was part of the group who found Mr Somers, told KDVR. 'He was very loyal. He never left his side.'

Fortunately, one of the people the dog led to Mr Somers was a trauma surgeon, who was able to look after him while mountain rescue were called.



Mr Somers doesn't know if he will be able to walk again after the accident, but he does know that without Juneau he may never have been rescued.

He also credits five-year-old Juneau with helping him through the recovery process.



Rewards: Juneau has been presented with a Heroic Dog Award for her actions

'When I first woke up, I wasn’t sure if I was happy to be alive or not,' he told CBS Denver. '[Juneau] helps me remain hopeful that I’ll walk out of here or someday I will walk again.'



Animal rights group Peta has recognized Juneau's actions by presenting her with a Heroic Dog Award.

