While enjoying our morning coffee, we hardly anticipate a momentous act like rescuing a stranded animal on a cliff. However, one elderly man found himself in this exact situation.
While savoring his morning coffee, he noticed something unusual moving at the cliff’s edge. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a small dog in desperate need of help.
He immediately contacted the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) in Colorado, informing them of the predicament and requesting assistance to save the distressed pup.
Help Is On The Way
Photo Credit: humanesocietypikespeakregion
When officers Barker and Johnson arrived at the scene, the dog was so distant they needed binoculars to spot her.
“He [the elderly man] was funny because I couldn’t see her without my binoculars, and he said he knew the ‘dot’ was an animal because he’s never seen that dot there before,” shared Officer Barker.
Using the binoculars, they identified the dog stuck on a small ledge, precariously perched above a 50-yard drop into the creek.
Rescue Mission
Photo Credit: humanesocietypikespeakregion
Not knowing how long the dog had been there, they decided to act swiftly. Fortunately, a nearby resident had a mountaineering harness and rappelling rope, which proved invaluable.
Officer Barker carefully secured herself to a sturdy wooden fencepost and slowly descended towards the dog.
As soon as the dog saw her rescuer, she eagerly wagged her tail and crawled towards Officer Barker. Unfortunately, the dirt beneath her began to slip, hindering her progress.
Despite the shifting dirt, she persisted. “When I was down on the cliffside with her, she tried crawling towards me again. When I finally reached her, she kept licking my hands and face,” Officer Barker recounted.
Officer Johnson then lowered a catchpole, which Officer Barker skillfully placed around the dog’s neck and shoulders.
This ensured that even if the ground gave way completely, the dog would remain secure.
With the dog safely in her grasp, Johnson lowered another rope, securing it to the dog’s makeshift harness for added safety.
Once everything was secure, Officer Johnson carefully pulled both Officer Barker and the dog back to stable ground.
Found Dog
Photo Credit: humanesocietypikespeakregion
They immediately took the dog to the shelter for a checkup. During the examination, they discovered a tag and a microchip. This allowed them to quickly learn her name, Jessie Lee, and contact her owner.
The HSPPR swiftly reached out to Jessie Lee’s family with the joyous news.
They discovered that Jessie Lee had been missing for two weeks and that the cliff was only a few blocks from her home.
The family was overjoyed to be reunited with their beloved dog. They rushed to the Colorado rescue center the next morning to bring Jessie Lee home, completing their family once again.
Final Word
Photo Credit: humanesocietypikespeakregion
This story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of microchipping your pets.
Though Jessie Lee had a tag, locating her family without the microchip would have been far more challenging.
With the microchip, reuniting Jessie Lee with her family took mere seconds!
