Metro

‘One very lucky’ dog rescued after falling off 50-foot cliff at Connecticut quarry

He’s a lucky dog.

A dog that had been missing for days was rescued Tuesday after falling off a 50-foot cliff at a Connecticut quarry.

The North Canaan Animal Shelter received a phone call from a man Monday night who said he had heard a dog barking while he was walking near the quarry on Lower Road, Animal Control Officer Lindsay Burr wrote in a post.

She hitched a ride from the quarry owners to the bottom to see if they could spot the pup, which they could hear barking but was nowhere to be found. 

The shelter phoned a local man with a drone to see if they could detect a heat signature, which was unsuccessful.

Rippy, a terrier mix, disappeared on Saturday, according to his owner. Facebook
Rescue teams descended 50 feet on ropes to save the dog. Facebook
Employees at the quarry reported hearing Rippy barking on Tuesday. Facebook

The agency later learned that  Rippy, a 30-pound Terrier mix, vanished in the area on Saturday and got in contact with his owners.

On Tuesday, men working on the quarry reported hearing the barking again while on their lunch break and finally saw Rippy up on the cliff and called Animal Control to retrieve the pup.

Northwest Rope Rescue Teams, the North Canaan Fire Company and North Canaan Ambulance assisted with the daring rescue.

“The Rope Rescue Team had 2 members who repelled roughly 50 ft down to the dog Rippy who fell down the cliff and was stuck. He could have been stuck there since Saturday night but no one will know for sure,” Burr wrote.

Rescue teams posed in the quarry after Rippy was captured. Facebook
Rippy was returned to his owners to “decompress” after his rescue. Facebook

He was safely brought back up the cliff and returned to his owners.

“He is one very lucky dog to have survived a fall off one of those cliffs,” Burr noted. “Other animals have not been that lucky.”