Us Man Gets Stuck On Cliff Saving Dog

[german_shep_fan]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8396891/us-man-goes-over-cliff-to-save-dog

A Californian hiker thought he was going to die after getting stuck on a cliff face he descended to save his falling dog.

Ivan Salas, 19, and his father were walking with their German shepherd Lola along a 100-metre-high ridge in the San Fernando Valley when the dog chased a bottle Ivan threw over the precipice.

Mr Salas watched as the dog went over and quickly responded by descending the cliff only to find himself in a life-threatening predicament.

“When I was going halfway down, that’s when I thought that was the end for myself,” he told Good Morning America. "Once I was sliding down, I was just trying to hold onto whatever I could."

Struggling for grip on the slippery dirt, Mr Salas eventually grabbed onto a rock, where he hung on for dear life for 90 minutes awaiting rescue.

"Any little mistake, I could have gone straight down," he said.

An attempt by rescue services to use a helicopter to retrieve the stricken pair failed when the chopper started to blow a dangerous stream of loose dirt and debris along the cliff face.

Two firefighters eventually abseiled to their aide, lifting the boy and his dog to safety with a harness.

Asked why he plunged over the edge to save his one-year-old pooch, Mr Salas gave a reply dog owners around the world will understand: "She's not just a dog, she's family," he told ABC America.

Edited January 1, 2012 by german_shep_fan

[sandgrubber]

There's a lesson here: Dogs can be really stupid about going over cliffs. Do not allow them off lead around severe drop-offs, and for dog's sake, don't throw anything over a cliff when there's a dog nearby

Some 25 years ago I went walking with my mother, her Lab, my Lab, and a GR I was looking after in a large area of public land in Pennsylvania. Suddenly we had only two Labs. After much looking and calling we found the GR had fallen over a cliff face. When I scrambled to the bottom I found the poor girl drawing her last breaths. Much trauma. It's bad enough seeing a dog die. Worse to explain what happened to the owner of a dog you were looking after.

[raz]

What an idiot! He should be fined for littering and cop the rescue bill. Tosser.

[Kirislin]

That'll teach him to chuck rubbish.

[Kirislin]

There's a lesson here: Dogs can be really stupid about going over cliffs. Do not allow them off lead around severe drop-offs, and for dog's sake, don't throw anything over a cliff when there's a dog nearby

Some 25 years ago I went walking with my mother, her Lab, my Lab, and a GR I was looking after in a large area of public land in Pennsylvania. Suddenly we had only two Labs. After much looking and calling we found the GR had fallen over a cliff face. When I scrambled to the bottom I found the poor girl drawing her last breaths. Much trauma. It's bad enough seeing a dog die. Worse to explain what happened to the owner of a dog you were looking after.

Terrible!