Dog's Face Frozen Dangerously During Ride on Road to Hana

A pet dog brought along for a touristy ride along the Road to Hana had to be air-lifted to the hospital when its owners discovered he came down with a rare facial muscle disorder that affects only canines.

Bob and Sandy Gurthwith of Portland, Oregon thought bringing their trusted 14-year-old mixed-breed named "Butch" would be a nice and enjoyable excursion for the canine.

"We kept talking and pointing to trees, and stopping in the middle of the road at every waterfall to take pictures with our digital cameras, and before we knew it we were way out there in who knows where," said Bob Gurthwith. "We had forgotten about ol' Butch in the back, and when we looked back it kind of looked like he was laughing."

"Or making fun of our faces while we were on the hairpin turns," Sandy Gurthwith said. "He's a gagster like that."

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However, after a few minutes of not moving at all, and maintaining an expression with his eyes wide open, lips pulled back, and ears sticking straight up, the couple knew something was wrong.

"Where we live, the most exciting turn you will find is a roundabout," the husband said. "The only time Butch ever gave us trouble was when Sandy got scared and we got stuck on the roundabout for like an hour because she couldn't figure out how to get out of the darn thing."

"I think he just got dizzy then," she said. "This was different for him, like a sideways rollercoaster."

The couple pulled over and used their mobile phones to call 911. Dispatchers hooked them up with an emergency veterinarian, who happened to know from previous experience the affliction the dog suffered from.

Butch suffered a case of turnus toomuchus, a rare canine psychological occurrence which involves petrification of the facial muscles. It's considered a temporary ailment, but could become permanent if not treated immediately.

So turn after turn after hairpin turn, Butch's face got stuck like that of Chris Rock he was slapped in the face on television during the Oscars, veterinarian Micky Hauhau of Haiku.

Hauhau knew it was a dangerous condition that warranted immediate attention. So an emergency airlift was called to transport Butch to Maui Memorial Medical Center for treatment.

He was treated for severe dehydration and dizziness, and kept for the night as nurses waited for sedatives to wear the silly look off his face.

One of them snapped some photos, which went viral on Instagram. A Disney talent scout approached the Gurthwiths at the hospital about doing a television feature on the experience.

However the talent scout said if it happens, Butch will have to be portrayed as a transgender teen canine, perhaps named Buffy.