Daring Dog Rescues and Other Good Deeds: Dogster Article By Lisa Cohn
Ranger, an 80-pound Great Dane–Mastiff mix, fell more than 200 feet from a cliff after wandering away from his owner during a hike in Oregon’s Santiam State Forest. A two-year-old Husky-Shepherd mix named Kenny dropped off a 150-foot cliff in the state’s Columbia River Gorge. And Gracie the Goldendoodle tumbled off a 200-foot cliff in the same area.
All three dogs survived, thanks to the Oregon Humane Society’s technical animal rescue team, whose members often risk their lives performing high-angle cliff rescues, many times in darkness.
The 18-member volunteer team — made up of 14 women and four men, including a firefighter, a police officer, a realtor, home builders, and veterinary technicians — completes up to seven high-angle rescues a year and trains year-round for these emergencies, says Ulli Neitch, a team member and spokesperson.
OHS’s rescue team is just one of the reasons I’m committed to supporting OHS and participating in its fundraisers. My six-year-old, Michael, and I donate a portion of the sales of our book, Bash and Lucy Fetch Confidence, to the organization. In addition, we recently filmed ourselves eating dog biscuits for the its Biscuit Challenge, during which OHS supporters eat dog biscuits on camera and nominate friends to do the same or to make a donation. For the fundraiser, TV personalities, well-known business owners, local entertainers, and other pet lovers joined in the fun.
However, eating dog biscuits is a breeze compared to the heroics of the animal rescuers.
The team not only focuses on dogs who fall from cliffs. Team members have transported injured owls to vets, kayaked to a local island to care for ill pelicans, picked up ailing snakes, and assisted in animal hoarding investigations. The rescuers even lend a helping hand during disasters such as Superstorm Sandy, assisting pet owners whose homes are destroyed, says Neitch.
Read the article here: Daring Dog Rescues and Other Good Deeds by Oregon Humane Society