Rope teams from the Ottawa Fire Service sprang into action to rescue a 100-pound dog who had fallen down a steep embankment on Thursday.
Around noon, Ottawa Fire Services received a 911 call from a woman who said her son and his dog had fallen down the embankment at Beryl Gaffney Park, near Manotick.
The dog, named ‘Medo,’ a 100-pound Bouvier, was stuck at the bottom. Due to the heavy mud and steep angle, the dog was unable to climb back up to safety. The rope rescue team made their way down to the dog and tied a harness around him and were able to pull him to the top of the hill.
“There was a 45-degree embankment,” says Nicholas DeFazio of Ottawa Fire. “The dog went over first. It was a very muddy embankment. He got trapped down at the bottom. There was water down at the bottom as well. The individual went down to rescue the dog. He couldn’t get the 100-pound dog up the embankment.”
Ottawa fire says the water rescue team was also dispatched in the event the dog tried to run up the muddy hill and slip back down the hill into the fast-moving water.
The hill was too steep and too slippery for the dog to climb, but the man was able to get himself to safety.
“So he was able to self rescue,” says DeFazio. “Our crews arrived on scene and realized we had to use our ropes, low-angle rescue. Go down, tie the dog off, and bring him back up the embankment.”
Both the man and his dog escaped with no injuries.