ANIMALS
Coast Guard Rescues Dog That Fell Over Cliff On Oregon Coast
USCGPacificNW/X
The U.S. Coast Guard rescued a dog on Monday after he fell over a cliff on the Oregon coast.
The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District said it responded to a report of a dog over a cliff at Ecola State Park at around 2:45 p.m. on Monday, in the same area it previously responded when another dog fell over the cliff. Seaside Fire and Rescue and Nehalem Bay Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene Monday.
First responders were preparing to rappel down the side of the cliff when a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew arrived to save the day. The Coast Guard said a rescue swimmer was deployed and placed the dog, named Leo, into a hoisting basket.
A video shared by the Coast Guard shows Leo huddled against the cliffside on a small sliver of land beside the Pacific Ocean.
The helicopter landed in a parking lot at around 4:15 p.m. to reunite Leo with his owners. In a followup on Tuesday, the Coast Guard said Leo’s owners provided an update on his condition.
Leo stayed overnight at an emergency vet. He has a few cuts and bruises, the owners said. All things considered, he is doing good. We are so thankful he is alive and expected to recover.
The Cannon Beach fire department said that although the coast is beautiful, it is not perfectly safe, noting another dog had fallen over the cliff in the past.
We’d like to remind everyone to keep dogs on leash when hiking unless other wise stated ‘Dogs Allowed Off Leash’ on the state park website, the fire department said.
TMX contributed to this article.
