Otto – Dog Over a Cliff

On September 30th, WASART was called to assist with a dog stranded over a steep cliff. By the time we arrived, a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputy, who had rope experience, had already made his way down to Otto and was staying with him while additional rescue resources arrived.

Otto was about 30 feet below the top of the cliff on extremely soft, crumbly terrain, surrounded by ivy and loose debris. There was very little solid footing—and not much room to work.

We began setting up our rigging system. With few good anchor options nearby, we used a large pickup truck positioned at the top of the cliff as a secure anchor.

Once our system was ready and team members were in place, we lowered one of our rescuers down to Otto and the deputy.

That’s when the real challenge began.

Otto was positioned almost vertically against the cliff, with the deputy helping hold him securely in place. Together, they worked to get a rescue harness around Otto despite the loose dirt, tangled ivy, and his very precarious position.

Eventually, they were able to move Otto just enough to get his paws onto a tiny ledge—only about six inches wide. That gave them a little more room to finish securing his harness. He was then attached to the rope system for the raise.

Then it was time to head up.

Apparently, Otto thought he should help with his own rescue. As we began raising him and the rescuer, he started trying to climb the cliff himself. His enthusiasm made things a little more complicated, but our rescuer was able to keep him secure while the rest of our team continued bringing them up.

A short time later, Otto made it over the edge and back onto solid ground, where we removed his rescue gear and reunited him with his owner.

We’re very grateful to Snohomish County Animal Services, Marysville WA Police, and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office for the strong teamwork throughout this rescue —and especially Master Patrol Deputy Uhrich, who stayed with Otto on the cliff while we assembled our team and carefully put the rescue system into place.

Welcome back to the top, Otto!

Click on any of the photos below for a larger gallery: