Once a dog locks eyes on a chipmunk, nothing else matters. At least that was the case for one dog, who chased a chipmunk straight off a 140-foot cliff in British Columbia’s Cypress Provincial Park.
On Saturday, members of the North Shore Rescue (NSR) team harnessed up to save the dog, who ended up stuck on the side of the cliff, just off the Howe Sound Crest Trail.
After the dramatic rescue, NSR updated their Facebook page to say that the dog was “miraculously ok,” save for a few scratches.
“A happy dog, and a very relieved owner,” they wrote.
Glad to see the dog safe and sound, Facebook commenters praised the rescuers’ efforts, though some did criticize the owner for not keeping their dog on a leash.
According to the provincial park’s rules, dogs must be leashed and under control at all times.
Although it might seem like an isolated incident, the NSR described it as a “routine, albeit dramatic, dog rescue.”
Last year, there was a similar incident in Newfoundland’s Terra Nova National Park, when a chocolate lab named Fudge lunged off a cliff toward the water more than 300 feet below the hiking trail.
And as one commenter pointed out, cliffs aren’t the only danger of having your dog off leash in a place like this.
“Wait until your dog comes running back to you with a bear or cougar on its heels,” they said.
