Dog Found on 150-ft Cliff Returned to Owners After Going Missing for Weeks

A dog that had been missing for two weeks has been returned to its owners after rescuers found it stuck on a cliff around 150 feet high.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, an animal shelter in southern Colorado, reported the rescue on Monday this week, December 13.

A team from the animal shelter found the dog after receiving a phone call about it. When they arrived at the location, they found the dog on a small ledge overlooking Colorado's Fountain Creek.

Thanks to a local resident, they were able to borrow a climbing harness and some rope, and staff member Officer Barker descended to the ledge from above.

"Once the dog saw Officer Barker, she immediately started to wag her tail and crawl towards her, but the ground was slipping out from underneath the dog," the shelter wrote in a Facebook post.

Since the dog was too far away to reach, fellow staff member Officer Johnson lowered a catchpole which Barker then attached to the dog's neck and shoulder.

Together, the team members were able to hoist the dog off the ledge by constructing a makeshift harness from a second rope.

Staff were soon able to identify the dog, called Jessie Lee, via a name tag and microchip, and contacted its owners. It turned out the pet had been missing for two weeks but her owners had been unable to find her.

"Our team in Lost & Found gave them a call, and before we could even tell them the good news, Jessie Lee's owner was asking if we found their beloved pup," the shelter wrote.

It's not the first time a dog has had to be rescued from high altitude. Last month, mountaineers in Mexico rescued a dog from the highest mountain in Mexico—Pico de Orizaba, also known as Citlaltépetl.

Their attempt to find the animal followed reports from other mountaineers that the dog was stuck up there, but they were unable to help due to the difficult terrain.

One team was able to get to the dog, which reportedly finished almost an entire flask of water when they offered it. It appeared malnourished and with reddened eyes due to exposure to the harsh sunlight, according to Layo Aguilar who took part in the rescue and detailed it in a Facebook post.

The dog was taken off the mountain safely and into the care of a mountaineer with the intention of nursing it back to health before putting it up for adoption.

A dog was also rescued after being found swimming in the ocean earlier this year.