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After the rushing Big Cottonwood Creek swept her through parts of Holladay and Murray at midday Friday, a woman pulled herself to shore and sought help from an area homeowner.
Around 11:30 a.m., a caller told emergency dispatchers that the woman, who is in her mid- to late 30s, dived into the creek to rescue her dog after it fell in while at Creekside Park near Murray-Holladay Road and 1600 East.
The witness then lost sight of the dog and the woman, dispatchers said.
Crews rushed to various points of the creek west of the Holladay area to see if they could catch the woman or dog as they were swept downstream. She eventually pulled herself ashore just after noon near 4754 S. 650 East -- about two miles from where
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Unified Fire Authority Capt. Clint Smith said the woman was in "relatively good condition" when she was taken to Intermountain Medical Center. She had been conscious, alert and talking to rescue crews before she was transported.
"She was cold, wet and mildly hypothermic," Smith said. "She did get bumped and banged quite a bit as she moved down that creek, but there were [no injuries] visibly obvious on our initial assessment."
Smith said he had not heard whether the dog had been rescued or pulled itself out of the creek. The woman has asked for help from the public in locating the dog, Harrison, a 13-year-old German shepherd standing about 16 inches tall at his back. He is described as having
One of the woman's co-workers told rescuers that Harrison had strayed too far into the creek and got caught in the current, spurring the woman to dive in and try to rescue him.
With recent mountain runoff, Smith said the water likely was still "quite fast and cold."
