Open Manhole cover

Elderly Dog Rescued After 23-Foot Plunge Down Storm Drain

Always heartbreaking when something bad happens to a good dog. Luckily though. this tense story still has a happy ending thanks to some firefighters who sprung into action. The story went down in Portland, Oregon but was recently shared by the news outlet KGW 8. The incident occurred on Thursday when a 14-year-old dog fell down an almost 25-foot manhole into a storm drain. City workers were inspecting the storm drains and temporarily removed the cover. The black labrador survived the 23-foot tumble. She was down there for about an hour but was not injured.

The dog’s owners shared their thoughts on the situation. “She just walked up expecting a treat and just went over the edge and disappeared. So that was quite a shock,” said Larry Beutler “It was absurd” said his wife Linda. “We went through a real life-threatening thing with her before Christmas, so it was just like, ‘What else can happen?”

A firefighter descended into the hole, put the dog in a harness, and used a pulley system to raise her out of the sewer system. A group of people that had gathered clapped and cheered as the dog was pulled out of the dark hole. She was down there for about an hour but was not injured. There was a huge pile of leaves and other soft debris at the bottom of the hole that helped cushion her fall.

Linda Beutler is grateful for the firefighter’s rescue efforts and kept her humor about the situation. “Oh god, they’re heroes. They’re amazing. We just want to tell other dogs, don’t be like Tess. Don’t be like Tess,” Linda Buetler joked. “Don’t just walk up to people and expect to get treats because you might fall into a hole.”

Rescuers Descend 500-Foot Cliff To Save Hunting Dog

Not to diminish the efforts of the firefighters in that story in any way, but descending down a 23-foot manhole is light work compared to repelling down a 500-foot cliff. But that’s just what some rescuers in Hawaii had to do a while back to rescue a dog.

The harrowing rescue required two highly trained waterfall rappellers who were called to the scene after a 48-hour search finally turned up the missing dog. As any who’s ever bonded with a hunting dog knows, two full days of separation can feel like a lifetime. Thankfully, this story also has a happy ending. After two days of searching, Skyla and Shawn Grace finally located their dog. She was 500 feet below a cliff though.

They were hunting hogs when their dog tumbled down the cliff side while chasing a pig. Eventually, they were able to connect with the GPS unit on the dog’s collar. They were obviously thrilled to see the dog was still alive, but less than optimistic after realizing she was 500 feet below them down the side of a steep precipice.

Professional Waterfall Rapellers Help With Rescue

After trying desperately to find someone who could help, the dog owners got connected with Mark Esposito and Caleb Morrison. They both repel down some of the world’s craziest waterfalls as a recreational activity. Esposito and Morrison were eager to help.

“Felt honored to help such an amazing family get back one of their family members,” Mark Esposito tells TGI. “Was really motivated by how their whole family came out to go search for their dog. Glad to put out rappelling skills to good use and help such a wonderful family in our community.”

His partner in rescue, Caleb Morrison, says he feels “like a million bucks” after the hunting dog’s daring rescue. “I was exhausted the next day, woke up having to climb. I was physically drained, but my emotions were super positive and happy it didn’t matter,” adds a member of a Kaua’i search & rescue team.