Marathon Rescue Effort Reaches Injured Dog

July 30, 2008

 

Click here to view the rescue video.

A 12-year-old dog  who was the subject of  ten-hour rescue operation by the Oregon Humane Society failed to survive injuries received from a 100-foot fall in the Columbia Gorge. The dog, a female shepherd mix named Casey, suffered severe internal injuries when she fell 100-feet from a popular hiking trail on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge.

 

Casey was brought to safety early this morning in a daring nighttime rescue by members of the Oregon Humane Society Technical Animal Rescue team (OHSTAR). After being hoisted up the cliff in the early hours of the morning, she was brought to the Dove Lewis  emergency animal clinic in Portland. Veterinarians noted that her heart and lungs were severely bruised and both  legs on her left side were broken. With the approval of the dog's owner, a decision was made to euthanize Casey.

 

OHSTAR rescuers began heading back down the Angel’s Rest trai with Caseyl at about 1:00 am after a grueling rescue that involved rappelling down a 100-foot cliff in the rain and the dark. OHSTAR received the request to perform the rescue from Multnomah County Sheriff's Department.Because of the technical nature of the rescue, the Sheriff’s Department contacted OHSTAR, which regularly trains to conduct such rescues

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The volunteer-based group successfully performed a night rescue of an injured dog stranded on steep cliff in Mt. Hood in 2005, conducted a water rescue of dog stranded on the Sandy River in 2004, and was dispatched to help stranded animals in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

 

The rescue efforts by the Oregon Humane Society are funded entirely through private donations, and do not receive any tax dollar support. Help Support OHS Rescue Efforts