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A dog in San Francisco fell off a cliff while playing and spent 20 minutes clinging to a ledge before rescuers arrivedFirefighters and police officers used a “high-angle rigging system” to pull the 40-pound canine back up to safetyAccording to Rescue Captain Samuel Menchaca, the dog “knew he got rescued. He was wagging his tail. He was giving everyone kisses”
A dog was heroically rescued after falling off the side of a cliff.
While playing with another pup on Oct. 28, a brown and white dog slipped off an oceanside cliff at Fort Funston in San Francisco, which has steep bluffs that can drop up to 200 feet to the beach below. After landing on a narrow ledge, the canine waited there for around 20 minutes while authorities and rescue teams rushed to the scene.
In a video of the tense rescue shared by the San Francisco Police Department, a handful of firefighters could be seen using a “high-angle rigging system” to slowly lure the dog back up to safety, with the waves crashing in the background. Officials noted that the dog appeared “conscious, alert, and able to walk on its own after being brought to safety.”
“We had low angle rescue utilizing the crews from Station 19 near Stonestown,” the San Francisco Fire Department shared in an October update shared to X. “We received a dog 40 feet over the cliff who was not injured and has been returned to its owner.”
San Francisco dog rescued from side of a cliff.
San Francisco Fire Department/X
According to authorities, a San Francisco police drone operator happened to be in the area when he spotted the 40-pound animal and called in for assistance.
“He was happy. He knew he got rescued. He was wagging his tail. He was giving everyone kisses,” Rescue Captain Samuel Menchaca told the Associated Press. He went on to warn people to be careful while on these dangerous, unmarked paths — especially when it comes to dogs and children. “You may think that it’s a little berm or a hill, but it is a significant drop.”
San Francisco dog rescued from side of a cliff.
San Francisco Fire Department/X
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In fact, Menchaca explained that firefighters have had to rescue people from the area numerous times in the past. And although he and his team are trained to respond to these scary situations, he emphasizes that it is important to try to prevent them altogether. “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.