A dog that was missing for two weeks was rescued from a cliff overlooking Fountain Creek on Wednesday afternoon and has been reunited with her family.
The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) said its Animal Law Enforcement team received a call about a dog on the cliff on Wednesday afternoon and two officers responded to assess the situation.
Two officers — identified as Officer Barker and Officer Johnson — were able to spot the dog using binoculars.
They determined the dog was stuck on a small ledge about 50 yards above Fountain Creek. As they searched the area from afar, they located a place right above where the dog was where they could try to grab her.
A man who lived nearby offered up a mountaineering harness and repelling rope for the officers, the HSPPR said.
Officer Barker anchored herself to a sturdy fence post and started rappelling down to the dog, which started to wag her tail when she saw the officer approaching. The dog tried to crawl toward the officer, but the ground was slipping out beneath her, the HSPPR said.
She was too far away for Officer Barker to reach, so Officer Johnson passed her a catchpole, which Officer Barker was able to slip around the dog's neck and shoulder.
"This allowed Officer Barker to slowly pull the dog closer without the risk of losing her if she fell," the HSPPR said. "Once the pup was finally in the arms of Officer Barker, Officer Johnson lowered a secondary rope which was securely tied into a makeshift harness for the dog. Officer Johnson quickly pulled up the dog and Officer Barker shortly after."
When everybody was off the cliff, the officers looked at the dog's collar and scanned her microchip. They learned the dog's name was Jessie Lee and once back at the HSPPR, the officers were able to contact the dog's owners.
"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 HSPPR said.
The owners said Jessie Lee had been missing for two weeks and they had been searching for her every day. They picked Jessie Lee up the following morning.
To learn more about the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, click here.
