A 40-pound dog fell about 40 feet off a Fort Funston bluff and clung to a narrow ledge for 20+ minutes before a rescuer rappelled down

By Audrey McAvoy
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — A pet dog fell off an oceanside bluff in San Francisco and spent more than 20 minutes clinging to a narrow ledge until firefighters came to its rescue, officials said.

The brown and white dog was playing with another pooch on Tuesday at Fort Funston, a coastal park with steep bluffs that can drop up to 200 feet (61 meters) to the beach below. The dog, which was not familiar with the area, slipped on some vegetation, lost its traction and fell over the cliff, said Rescue Captain Samuel Menchaca of the San Francisco Fire Department.

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Firefighters sent a team to retrieve the canine, which had found temporary refuge on a ledge about 40 feet (12 meters) below the top of the cliff. A San Francisco police drone operator who happened to be in the area heard the emergency call go out and captured an aerial view of the dog’s location, which he relayed to firefighters.

Once they knew where to find the animal, one rescuer rappelled down the sandy cliff face, attached a harness to the 40-pound (18-kilogram) dog and held it as they were pulled up together.

“He was happy. He knew he got rescued. He was wagging his tail. He was giving everyone kisses,” Menchaca said.

Rescuers reunited the dog with its owner.

Menchaca urged people to stay on marked paths, keep their dogs on leashes and their small children close.

“You may think that it’s a little berm or a hill, but it is a significant drop,” he said.

Firefighters unfortunately have to rescue people a lot in this area, Menchaca said. They train for it, and will always be there, but they don’t want people to get hurt, he said.

“One of the best ways to not get hurt on these cliffs and our beautiful seaside parts of San Francisco is to stay on the marked paths,” he said.

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