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By Glenn Farley and Teresa Yuan for Kings5 News
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – A dog that fell over a cliff along the Pacific Crest Trail in Snoqualmie Thursday was rescued in an effort you normally think would be reserved for humans. But in fact, it’s with humans in mind that the elaborate rescue took place.
According to the Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART), a couple was hiking along the trail Thursday night. Their German Pointer, named Dosewallips, ran across an ice field and slid about 100 yards over the embankment. The 50-pound dog landed on a ledge below the trail.
WASART members, along with members of King County Search and Rescue and the Northwest Horseback Search and Rescue, were called to the scene. One team managed to rappel down to a ledge on the same level, but they were still too far from the dog to retrieve him.
The crews camped on the trail overnight to wait for more light and a longer rope before they pulled Dosewallips out Friday morning.
“We’re very thankful to the volunteers who helped us out,” said Dosewallips’ owner Mike Garrity.
While it might seem like a lot to throw at an effort to rescue a dog, WASART says it keeps from making the situation worse because the owners might have gotten trapped if they had tried to rescue the dog on their own.
Garrity said he did try to rescue Dosewallips, but thought better of it and called for help.
In February 2005, a woman died after she fell 400 feet trying to rescue a dog in a similar situation near Mud Mountain Dam.