Photo: NY State Parks
A dog’s harrowing five days without food and water is over, thanks to a group of dedicated animal rescuers.
According toa release from New York State Parks, Liza, a 12-year-old dog, fell into a narrow rock crevice while hiking with her owner at Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County on October 7.
Liza’s owner and park staff tried into the evening on October 7 to free the canine from the tight space but had no luck. For the next several days, the park employees attempted to maneuver a camera into the crevice to understand the dog’s condition better but could not get a clear view of the canine.
On Tuesday, rescuers from the Ulster County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and volunteers from the New Jersey Initial Response Team (NJIRT), a regional group specializing in cave rescue, arrived at Minnewaska State Park Preserve to assist with Liza’s removal from the crevice.
Equipped with “a specialized plumbing inspection camera” from park employees, two NJIRT members descended into the crevice and located an “unharmed” Liza in a narrow area, per the release.
NY State Parks
The NJIRT rescuers carefully got a catch pole around Liza and raised her out of the crevice until she was close enough to the top to be pulled up to the surface.
After she shimmed down to the narrow area the pup had wandered into, Van Ord used a hot dog to lure Liza into the catchpole. While the dog went five days without food or water, Liza emerged from the crevice in good health and reunited with her owner.
“It’s always heartwarming to not only have such a positive outcome in cases like this but also to see so many people come together, putting themselves at risk, to save an animal’s life,” Gina Carbonari, Executive Director of the Ulster County SPCA, said of the group effort.
This happy ending is cause for celebration, but New York State Parks is also using Liza’s tale as an opportunity to remind pet owners about park rules and safety precautions.
“We are thrilled that it was possible to reunite Liza with its owner. This incident is a reminder that the rules requiring dogs to be kept on leash are an important way to protect loved pets, their owners, and the park’s fragile resources,” the Palisades Interstate Park Commission’s executive director, Joshua Laird, said.
source: people.com
