A heartbreaking trek on Cascade River trail

A woman hiking the Cascade River State Park trail with her small dog, Winston, experienced something every pet owner dreads—the loss of her pet.
At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a bystander on the Cascade River trail, informing them that a small dog had gone over the edge on Lookout Mountain. The frantic owner went over the edge to try to retrieve her dog.

The cell phone call kept dropping out and law enforcement was not entirely sure what was happening with the dog’s owner Anastasia Kazmina of Eagan, Minnesota. Lutsen Fire Department and First Responders, Cook County Sheriff deputies and Cascade River Park Ranger Peter Mott set out to find the woman.

The first rescuers were on scene at the base of the trail in the State Park by 5:17 p.m. A fire fighter went up the trail to try to locate the woman. Others took the ski trail and they found the dog with some bystanders. The dog was severely injured from the fall.  

At 5:23 p.m., they found the woman, unharmed. They were able to walk her to safety and reunite her with her dog. All parties and rescuers were out of the woods by 6 p.m.

However miraculous it was that the dog, Winston, was found alive, it was found he could not survive long-term and the heartbroken owner had to euthanize her pet.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Kazmina about her loss and about what other pet owners should consider to keep something like this from happening to them.