A dog was rescued by a Coast Guard crew and reunited with his owners on New Year’s Day after falling off a cliff along the Oregon coast.
Leo, a 3-year-old golden retriever, was on a walk with his owners on New Year’s Day when he ran and fell off the 300-foot cliff at the Ecola State Park, CBS News reported.
The Coast Guard spotted the dog in time and lowered a rescue swimmer down with a basket to save the injured dog.
USCG Pacific Northwest reported that first responders were preparing to climb down the cliffside, although the air crew arrived first and was able to rescue Leo, Fox News reported.
#UPDATE #BreakingNews Hoist cam footage of the dog rescue yesterday from Ecola State Park. From the owner: “Leo stayed overnight at an emergency vet. He has a few cuts and bruises. All things considered, he is doing good. We are so thankful he is alive and expected to recover.” pic.twitter.com/mnxTBQreUr
— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) January 2, 2024
The helicopter landed in a nearby parking lot and Leo was reunited with his owners.
The dog’s injuries were not known at the time but Leo’s owners later provided an update and said that Leo has some injuries but do expect him to make a full recovery.
“Leo was diagnosed with a pneumothorax that was causing breathing difficulties, a broken tooth and jaw, and other bruises and lacerations,” Leo’s owners said.
“He stayed at the hospital for two nights, and was sent home on Wednesday with “detailed discharge instructions,” Leo’s owners said.
“All things considered, he is doing good. We are so thankful he is alive and expected to recover” the owners said.
A GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for the dog’s veterinary bills, CBS reported.
During the rescue the pilot could be heard asking the rescuer over his headset if this was his first dog rescue, Fox News reported.
“First dog rescue,” Jason, the rescue swimmer, said.
The coast guard later shared video footage of the reunion between Leo and his family, and one of his owners hugging and thanking the rescue swimmer for saving their friend.
“Hugs. Hugs all around,” a member of the USCG aircrew could be heard saying.
“I love it,” another rescuer said.
The rescue was assisted by fire departments from Cannon Beach, Nehalem Bay and Seaside, Kiro 7 News, a local CBS affiliate, reported.
While this ended up just being a dog rescue, the event shows that our first responders are effective and ready to respond to any situation.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.