A German shepherd took a steep spill from a cliffside on the Oregon coast Wednesday evening, but fortunately for the injured canine, a determined Coast Guard crew was ready to assist, the service shared on social media.
Members of Coast Guard Air Station Astoria responded to the incident in Ecola State Park, Oregon, after the dog tumbled 300 feet down a cliff onto a remote, largely inaccessible section of the beach, the service said in the social media post.
“After a visit to the emergency vet, the dog’s owner reports that his pup is doing just fine,” U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest said in an updated statement.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived on the scene and spotted the injured animal shortly after getting the request to assist, the Coast Guard said.
Video of the rescue shows the German shepherd on a rocky part of the secluded beach working to reach higher ground as waves crashed along the coast. It later features a member of the aircrew getting lowered into the water before swimming over to where the dog sat on the shore.
Aviation Survival Technician 2nd Class Clayton Maidow, 32, was the rescue swimmer dispatched to save the pooch, reportedly named Dory, The Oregonian said.
The pair was successfully hoisted in a rescue basket up to the helicopter and the dog was reunited with her owner in the state park’s parking lot, the Coast Guard said.
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The dog “was scared, cold but very friendly and very docile,” said Lt. Jake Mullins, 36, the pilot of the MH-60 Jayhawk, according to The Oregonian.
“I’ve been at this air station for nearly five years and have never seen anything like this,” Mullins said.
Jonathan is a staff writer and editor of the Early Bird Brief newsletter for Military Times. Follow him on Twitter @lehrfeld_media
