Trison’s Adventures in the Alps

Mikhail Samarsky

Trison, the golden Labrador retriever whose extraordinary life has already taken him from guiding blind people to working alongside police officers, begins another adventure with a reflection on the unpredictable nature of fate. For a dog who has survived kidnappings, saved human lives and crossed oceans, everyday existence has become a succession of unexpected challenges.

Now Trison lives with police investigator Maksim Yeliseyev, whom he affectionately calls Max, and Max's young wife, Alexandra. The couple met during the events of Trison's Sea Adventures, when their visit to Israel brought them together through a series of extraordinary coincidences. Shortly after returning home, they married.

Trison was initially jealous of Alexandra. He feared that the woman who had captured his partner's heart might take away the attention and affection he was accustomed to receiving. But those fears have disappeared. Alexandra genuinely adores the Labrador, calling him her baby, her darling and even her little bunny — affectionate names that Trison considers entirely unsuitable for a dignified, mature working dog.

Behind his comic indignation, however, lies deep attachment. He has come to love Alexandra almost as much as Max.

Their peaceful family life is interrupted one morning when Max must attend a police meeting. He asks Trison to accompany Alexandra to a friend's birthday celebration instead of going to work. Before leaving, he jokingly reminds the dog that he is personally responsible for his wife's safety.

Trison takes this instruction far more seriously than Max realizes.

Alexandra and her friend Tatyana are enjoying the birthday celebration when the Labrador notices a disturbing smell. It comes from the kitchen, but nothing is cooking on the stove.

The smell is gas.

Trison remembers the story of a former blind companion who lost her sight after a gas explosion in a neighboring apartment. His instincts tell him that something terrible is about to happen.

He begins barking, runs toward the front door and demands to be let outside.

The two women misunderstand his behavior. They assume he needs to relieve himself. But Trison refuses to calm down. When Alexandra remembers that she has left her mobile phone behind and tries to return upstairs, he protests so fiercely that she abandons the idea.

He leads both women out of the building and across the street.

Moments later, an enormous explosion tears through the apartment block.

Windows shatter, walls collapse and flames burst from the damaged floors. The apartment where Alexandra and Tatyana were sitting only minutes earlier is destroyed.

The women realize that the Labrador has saved their lives.

Alexandra embraces him with tears in her eyes. Trison has obeyed Max's instruction to protect her, though neither man nor dog could have imagined what that responsibility would involve.

But the disaster is not over.

A desperate woman arrives at the ruins and begins screaming for her seven-year-old son, Vanya, who was left alone in the apartment while she went shopping.

Emergency workers are already extinguishing the fire and preparing to search the collapsed building. The mother begs Trison to find her child.

Although he has never been formally trained to search through earthquake-like ruins, the Labrador climbs over the wreckage and begins investigating.

He detects a faint sound beneath the broken concrete slabs.

Following it, he discovers a small hand protruding from a narrow space. The child is alive.

Trison begins barking and attracts the attention of rescue workers, who carefully lift the debris and free the boy.

The mother is reunited with Vanya, and Trison experiences the profound satisfaction of knowing that his instincts and courage have helped save another life.

When Max finally arrives, he is pale with terror. He has heard about the explosion on the radio and has been unable to reach Alexandra by telephone. Learning what happened, he kneels beside Trison and thanks him for saving his wife.

The opening episode establishes a theme that runs throughout the novel: a dog's extraordinary abilities become truly meaningful when they are guided by loyalty and responsibility.

Trison's work with the police continues.

On another occasion, Max is called to investigate the disappearance of two fourteen-year-old boys, Ilya and Yegor. Their parents have spent the night searching for them and are terrified that something terrible has happened.

The Labrador follows the boys' scent through the city and eventually leads the officers to an unfamiliar apartment.

The mystery is resolved without tragedy. The teenagers have spent the night playing computer games at a friend's home and fallen asleep without notifying their families.

The incident offers comic relief but also raises a serious question about the consequences of irresponsibility. The boys have caused unnecessary fear and forced several adults and police officers to spend hours searching for them.

Trison, with his usual dry humor, reflects that even intelligent human beings can sometimes behave with astonishing foolishness.

Soon afterward, Max arranges an unusual surprise for Alexandra.

She has always dreamed of jumping from an airplane with a parachute, and her husband decides to make that dream come true.

Unfortunately for Trison, Max includes him in the adventure.

At a local airfield, they meet Alexei, an experienced parachuting instructor, and Nikolai, a quiet, serious pilot.

Alexei tells Trison about Grozny, a courageous military working dog who used to parachute with soldiers during special operations and later died in service. The story fills the Labrador with admiration and makes his own fear seem almost embarrassing.

Max, an experienced parachutist, prepares to jump in tandem with Alexandra. Trison is secured to Alexei in a specially designed harness resembling a baby carrier.

The Labrador protests inwardly against being transported like a kangaroo's offspring, but there is no turning back.

The airplane climbs.

When the signal comes, Alexei jumps, carrying Trison into the open sky.

For several terrifying seconds the Labrador believes they are falling toward certain death. Then the parachute opens, the descent slows, and terror gives way to exhilaration.

Nearby, Max and Alexandra float beneath another parachute, Alexandra shouting joyfully that she is flying.

All three land safely.

Trison discovers that courage does not necessarily mean the absence of fear. Sometimes it means overcoming fear and finding unexpected happiness beyond it.

The experience also contains a darker reminder of human vulnerability.

Later Max explains why Nikolai, the pilot, rarely smiles. His wife and daughter died in a shopping-center fire. The tragedy destroyed his family and eventually ended his career in commercial aviation. Alexei helped him return to flying by finding him work at the parachuting club.

Trison is deeply moved. Even a man capable of controlling an aircraft cannot control fate. Yet friendship has given Nikolai a reason to continue living and working.

As autumn turns to winter, Trison resumes his familiar routine: police duty, family life, long walks and visits to Max's parents.

During one visit to the older Yeliseyevs, he becomes acquainted with two remarkable animals: Pierre, a basset hound who lost an ear after being attacked by another dog, and Yeroshka, a mischievous raccoon whose jealousy makes domestic life particularly eventful.

Their stories give Trison fresh opportunities to reflect on the responsibilities people assume when they bring animals into their homes, the consequences of careless supervision and the way jealousy can affect animals as well as humans.

He also learns that Alexandra's affectionate attachment to him is not an accident. She dreamed of owning a Labrador from childhood, but her parents refused to allow it.

Trison realizes that he has become part of the fulfillment of her childhood dream.

Then, toward the end of December, Max makes an announcement that changes their plans completely.

The newlyweds never had a proper honeymoon. Now he intends to correct that omission with a winter holiday in the Swiss Alps.

Alexandra is delighted. A former athlete and an experienced snowboarder, she has long dreamed of returning to the mountains.

Trison is less enthusiastic.

He remembers the dangers of Chukotka and wonders why humans persist in seeking freezing temperatures, steep slopes and potentially fatal sporting activities when they could simply stay at home.

Nevertheless, he prepares to accompany them.

Alexandra refuses to have the Labrador transported in an aircraft's cargo compartment, so the family chooses to travel by train instead.

The journey becomes an adventure in its own right.

At one station, while Trison is briefly outside the train, he mistakes another train for his own and climbs aboard just as it begins to depart.

To his horror, he discovers that the second train is traveling in the opposite direction.

Max runs along the platform, shouting for the conductor to stop.

The conductor manages to halt the departing train, and Trison escapes before being carried away from his family.

The frightening incident leaves him embarrassed and determined to be more careful.

On the train he also befriends Mukha, a tiny Belgian Griffon whose owner indulges her every wish. Despite her ridiculous appearance and apparent helplessness, Mukha proves intelligent and observant.

She warns Trison about the hazards awaiting dogs at winter sports resorts, including reckless snowboarders, skiers and powerful snow-grooming machines.

At the time he treats her warnings with skepticism.

He will remember them later.

After arriving in Switzerland, the travelers continue toward Zermatt, a famous Alpine resort dominated by the magnificent pyramid-shaped Matterhorn.

For Trison, the spectacle is overwhelming.

The mountains rise above the valleys like immense frozen monuments. Snow sparkles beneath the sun, cable cars move over terrifying precipices, and skiers race down slopes that appear impossibly steep.

The Labrador can scarcely understand why anyone would consider such a landscape a suitable place for relaxation.

But the hospitality of their temporary home soon makes him feel welcome.

The family stays at a hotel run by Bruno, a friendly man who treats Trison not as an inconvenience but as a legitimate guest.

There the Labrador meets Bruno's young daughter, Kitty.

The girl immediately falls in love with him.

Although they cannot communicate in a common human language, she understands that the animal is intelligent, affectionate and eager to please.

Kitty loves comic books and superheroes. Inspired by Trison's reputation, she begins drawing her own illustrated adventures featuring the Labrador.

In her pictures, he becomes a fearless canine superhero who climbs buildings, leaps between rooftops and fights imaginary villains.

Trison is astonished.

For the first time, someone has turned him into the hero of a comic book.

The discovery delights him, although he privately maintains that he has already accomplished enough real-life heroic deeds without needing imaginary superpowers.

The hotel's other guests also become part of the family's new circle of friends. Among them are Alex and Maria, a couple who have traveled to Switzerland from Ukraine, and Evgenia, or Zhenya, an experienced snowboard instructor.

Zhenya hears that Trison has previously learned to surf on the Mediterranean Sea.

An extraordinary idea occurs to her.

If the Labrador can balance on a surfboard, perhaps he can learn to snowboard.

Max and Alexandra enthusiastically agree.

Trison, who thought he had come on holiday, discovers that he has enrolled in another demanding course of training.

The lessons begin on a gentle practice slope near the famous Gornergrat railway and the Matterhorn.

Zhenya teaches children to snowboard and decides that her new four-legged pupil can join the group.

At first she rides with him standing between her legs on the board, holding his collar and helping him find his balance.

Trison recalls what he learned while surfing in Israel. He gradually understands how shifting his weight changes the movement of the board.

But mastering a snowboard independently proves far more difficult than he expected.

He must learn to slide on different edges of the board, change direction, slow down and avoid losing control.

When he finally attempts a descent without direct support, the board suddenly accelerates.

The Labrador hurtles downhill at increasing speed, unable to stop.

He sees another instructor, Phil, standing with two young skiers near the bottom of the slope.

Trison tries to avoid them, but his board strikes a bump, sending him directly toward the unsuspecting man.

He crashes into Phil and sends him sprawling in the snow.

The children burst into laughter.

Zhenya laughs too, and Phil, fortunately uninjured, joins in.

Trison is mortified.

He had dreamed of becoming a graceful snowboarder; instead he has turned himself into a flying projectile.

But the experience strengthens his determination.

He refuses to give up merely because his first attempt has ended in embarrassment.

Unknown to him, Zhenya has filmed the entire lesson, including the spectacular collision.

That evening she uploads the recording to social media.

By morning, thousands of people have watched it.

The video spreads rapidly, and Trison becomes a local celebrity.

Strangers recognize him on trains, in hotels and on the ski slopes. They want to photograph him, stroke his fur and congratulate him.

The Labrador is conflicted. He enjoys being admired, but dislikes the idea that so many people have witnessed his humiliation.

Yet Zhenya's confidence in him proves justified.

On another excursion high into the mountains, Trison meets Rousseau, an elderly Saint Bernard named after the Swiss philosopher.

Rousseau once worked as a mountain rescue dog. He tells the Labrador how he and his colleagues helped find three young men buried beneath an avalanche.

The story fills Trison with respect for the dogs whose work has saved so many people in the Alps.

He also learns that the familiar image of Saint Bernards carrying barrels of brandy is largely a legend popularized by artists.

The older dog's experience reminds him that mountain life is not simply picturesque scenery and sporting entertainment. Beneath its beauty lies constant danger, and rescue workers — human and animal alike — must always be prepared.

Encouraged by his new acquaintance and watched by an enthusiastic crowd, Trison makes another attempt at snowboarding.

This time he carefully remembers Zhenya's instructions.

He moves across the slope, stops, changes direction and gradually gains confidence.

Eventually he turns his board downhill and allows it to gather speed.

The descent is controlled and exhilarating.

He reaches the bottom without falling or colliding with anyone.

Max rushes to congratulate him.

Alexandra embraces him.

Trison can hardly contain his pride.

The Labrador who recently terrified everyone with his uncontrolled flight has now demonstrated genuine skill.

His Alpine holiday appears to have reached its happiest moment.

But the most important test of his courage is still ahead.

One afternoon Max and Alexandra are skiing and snowboarding on the more difficult slopes, while Trison runs behind them.

The Labrador becomes separated from the couple as evening approaches.

Near the edge of a steep run, a powerful snow-grooming machine unexpectedly moves toward him. Trison leaps aside just in time to avoid being crushed.

He remembers Mukha's warning about dangerous machinery.

Moments later he hears someone shouting a word he does not understand: Achtung!

A snowboarder is racing directly toward him.

Trison moves out of the way.

The rider catches an edge of his board on a bare patch of the slope and loses control.

He is thrown over the edge of the run, tumbles down a wooded embankment and strikes several trees before coming to rest far below.

Trison watches in horror.

The man lies motionless in the snow.

Without hesitation the Labrador scrambles down the steep slope toward him.

At first he fears the snowboarder is dead. Then he detects faint breathing.

The injured man's face is covered in snow, and blood is flowing from his mouth. Trison understands that serious internal injuries may have occurred.

He tries to pull the man uphill by his clothing, but the attempt is hopeless.

The victim is too heavy, the embankment too steep, and darkness is approaching.

Trison must find help.

He climbs back to the ski run and waits, barking whenever he hears a sound.

For a frightening time, no one appears.

Finally three Russian tourists approach: Yegor and his two friends.

Trison recognizes Yegor from an earlier encounter at the resort.

He runs toward them, barks insistently and repeatedly returns to the edge of the slope.

At first the men think the dog is lost.

Then Yegor realizes that he is trying to show them something.

He removes his snowboard and follows Trison down the embankment.

There they find the unconscious man.

Yegor checks his pulse and calls to his friends to summon mountain rescuers.

The three men remain with the victim until a rescue team arrives with a snowmobile and a special evacuation sled.

The injured snowboarder is taken to hospital.

Only then does Trison allow himself to relax.

He has once again saved someone not through physical strength but through persistence, intelligence and the ability to persuade people to follow him.

When he finally returns to Max and Alexandra, they are terrified and furious.

They have been waiting for him, fearing that he has become lost or injured.

Max scolds the Labrador for disappearing.

But Yegor explains what has happened.

Max's anger vanishes. He apologizes and embraces his friend.

The incident soon becomes known throughout Zermatt.

The rescued snowboarder turns out to be Christopher, a well-known actor.

He is seriously injured and remains unconscious in hospital.

The news troubles Trison deeply. Although the rescue team reached him, the Labrador cannot be certain that he will recover.

He remembers the frightening sight of the man's fall and wonders whether he might have done more.

As the days pass, however, encouraging news arrives.

Christopher survives and eventually regains consciousness.

His mother visits the hotel to thank the people who saved her son's life.

When she kneels beside Trison with tears in her eyes, the Labrador understands who she must be even before the others explain.

Her gratitude means far more to him than the attention of tourists or the admiration of strangers.

The journey that began as a sporting holiday has once again revealed his true vocation.

Even when he is not wearing a guide-dog harness or working alongside the police, he remains a rescuer at heart.

The family's holiday is nearing its end.

Trison has gained new friends, learned an unexpected sport and experienced both the breathtaking beauty and the real dangers of the Alps.

The hotel has become a second home. Bruno and his family treat him with affection, Zhenya considers him an exceptional pupil, and the tourists who once stared in disbelief at a snowboarding Labrador now recognize his courage.

Kitty, however, finds the approaching departure particularly painful.

She has become deeply attached to Trison, spending time with him and drawing new pictures of her canine hero.

On the morning of departure, everyone comes to say goodbye.

Alex offers to drive the family to Geneva, where they will begin the journey back to Moscow.

As their car starts leaving the hotel, Kitty suddenly runs after it, calling for them to stop.

Max gets out.

The girl rushes back inside and returns carrying her treasured notebook.

It contains the comics she has drawn about Trison.

She gives the notebook to Max as a farewell present for the Labrador.

Trison is deeply touched.

He understands that the child is giving away something she has created with love and imagination.

Watching Kitty wipe away her tears as the car drives away, he silently promises never to forget her.

The Alpine adventure seems to have ended.

But fate has one last surprise.

Back in Moscow, after the holiday, Max and Alexandra disappear from the apartment one morning, leaving Trison alone.

He grows increasingly restless, wondering where they have gone.

When they finally return, Max is carrying a large box.

They tell the Labrador that they have brought him a present.

Trison watches eagerly as the lid is opened.

Inside sits a tiny chocolate-colored Labrador puppy with striking yellow-green eyes.

The puppy looks up at him and asks a startling question:

Are you my father?

Trison is speechless.

When he finally manages to answer that he is not, the puppy asks who he is.

The older Labrador introduces himself.

The little dog announces that his name is Marcel.

Learning that Trison lives in the household, Marcel immediately concludes that they will live together. And if Trison is not his father, he can be his brother.

Max and Alexandra watch their introduction with delight.

Trison suddenly understands that the present is not merely another pet.

A new companion has entered his life — someone younger, inexperienced and ready to learn from him.

After spending years guiding people, protecting strangers and responding to emergencies, he is about to become a mentor.

Marcel's arrival transforms the ending from a simple return home into the beginning of another story.

The Labrador who has learned to fly with a parachute, ride a snowboard and rescue people in the mountains must now discover how to guide a young dog through the world.

The novel concludes with Trison's characteristic mixture of humor, affection and anticipation.

He reflects on the strange and sometimes painful ways in which fate has shaped his life. Yet he regrets none of the experiences that have made him who he is.

The Swiss Alps have taught him that fear can be overcome, unfamiliar skills can be mastered, and genuine courage is measured not by applause but by the willingness to help when someone is in danger.

His friendships with Kitty, Zhenya, Rousseau and the other people and animals he meets demonstrate that kindness can cross differences of age, language, nationality and species.

And Marcel's arrival gives that kindness a new direction.

Trison is no longer only a protector, a traveler or an unexpected sporting celebrity.

He has become an older brother and teacher.

The greatest achievement of a courageous life is not simply to overcome danger, but to pass on the ability to love, trust and help others.

As one extraordinary journey ends, another begins — this time with a young Labrador named Marcel at Trison's side.