A five-year-old Labrador retriever named Tokyo collapsed near the summit of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain, after apparently consuming cannabis discarded along the trail, according to her owner and the volunteer rescue team that carried her down. Christina Bluhme, a professional dog trainer from southern England, was ascending the 1,345-metre peak in the Scottish Highlands with her son and two dogs on 5 July when Tokyo lost control of her hind legs and drifted in and out of consciousness. Members of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, already on the mountain after assisting an injured hiker, placed the 25-kilogram animal in a stretcher and descended the slick, rocky path in roughly an hour. Veterinary staff at Crown Vets in Fort William later diagnosed neurotoxicity consistent with cannabis ingestion, administering activated charcoal; the dog recovered fully overnight.

Across the Atlantic, a different domestic accident involving a pet unfolded in Belcamp, Maryland, on a Friday evening shortly after 17:30 local time. Fire officials in Abingdon reported that a dog jumped onto a kitchen counter and accidentally activated a toaster, igniting nearby combustibles. The blaze, captured on a home security camera, caused extensive damage to the single-family dwelling—estimated at $150,000 to the structure and $50,000 to contents—and killed three other pets: a dog and two cats. Neighbours rescued two dogs, including the one that triggered the toaster, and a bearded dragon survived after critical care. No people were harmed; the owners were not home. Deputy state fire marshals ruled the cause accidental.

In Nepal, a far graver incident has stirred debate over the treatment of high-altitude workers. Hillary Dawa Sherpa, a 57-year-old cook who was reportedly persuaded to guide clients to the summit of Mount Everest due to staff shortages, was left alone at around 7,500 metres in late May after becoming exhausted. According to accounts from his family and the British climber he had been assisting, Dawa ran out of oxygen, fell into a crevasse, and survived for six days on chocolate and ice before a cleanup team found him at the base of the Khumbu Icefall. His family, speaking to international news agencies, expressed anger that a helicopter search was not launched until five days after he was reported missing, and they have filed a police complaint against his employer, Himalayan Traverse Adventure. The company has cited severe weather for the delay.

Medical and veterinary sources in the United Kingdom and the United States note a rise in cannabis toxicity cases in pets. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recorded a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in calls related to potential marijuana ingestion in 2023, with reports nearly tripling over five years. In the Scottish incident, the owner described the episode as a “very terrifying experience” and said the £1,000 veterinary bill was “money well spent”. The Everest case remains under investigation by Nepali authorities, while the Maryland fire has been closed as accidental.