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Cliffhanger: Pooch plummets 150 feet to Columbia Gorge cliff; climber rappels to rescue
PORTLAND, Ore. – A yellow Labrador that got spooked on a Christmas Day hike in the Columbia Gorge, snapping her leash and plunging 150 feet down a cliff, was rescued in the dark by a climber who rappelled to a narrow ledge where the dog was trapped.
David Schelske of West Linn told the Oregon Humane Society that when 3-year-old Sandy bounded around a bend and disappeared he figured her for a goner.
He hiked to the bottom of the cliff and saw her stranded on a narrow ledge 70 feet above.
About 7 p.m., an eight-person crew helped Humane Society volunteer John Thoeni (TAY’-nee) descend.
He fitted a rescue harness on the frightened dog, and the two were hoisted to safety. Sandy suffered minor injuries but walked out to the trailhead.
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