A 17-year-old dog that fell into a 350-foot ravine behind his home was rescued late Saturday after volunteers spent hours navigating steep terrain in the dark, according to the Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART).
Gavin, an elderly dog, slipped down the edge of the ravine on Nov. 8.
His owners searched for hours but couldn’t reach him through the dense brush and hazardous slope.
They called WASART for help after being unable to find him.
When responders arrived, they used a thermal camera to survey the area and determine where to begin.
Volunteers with the organization’s Technical Rescue Team then geared up and started their descent, working only by headlamps.
The ravine was coated in mud, blocked by fallen logs and thick Devil’s Club, and dropped sharply toward a creek below, slowing progress and making movement difficult.
Searchers covered multiple sections of the ravine before descending along a 300-foot rope line to reach the creek.
There, they finally spotted Gavin standing in the brush just a few feet away.
He was cold, wet and shivering but alive.
Volunteers wrapped the dog in a jacket for warmth, secured him in a harness and attached him to an attendant for the climb.
Using a rope-and-pulley system built at the top of the slope, rescuers steadily guided the team and Gavin back up the slick hillside.
After several hours of coordinated work, Gavin was lifted over the edge and reunited with his family.
WASART thanked the dog’s owners for seeking assistance and praised its volunteers, noting the organization is an all-volunteer nonprofit that regularly responds to complex animal rescues.
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