Dog Falls off Cliff and Is Stuck for 17 Hours Before Being Rescued

A dog named Carl had a terrifying adventure in Tennessee. Carl’s owner, Scott Grissom, was visiting a friend when they decided to let their pups run around off-leash on the farm they were on. All seemed fine until later that day when Grissom called for Carl, who didn’t return.

However, according to People, Grissom explained, “Then we heard him barking down the side of the cliff. And this is a 200-foot drop, straight wall going down.”

The canine hadn’t fallen the entire 200 feet, but he did fall around 120 feet. He landed on a tiny ledge, and because he couldn’t climb up or down, that’s where Carl stayed for the next 17 hours (including overnight) while a rescue mission was mounted.

Carl had a pretty complicated mission

According to the Washington Post, Grissom and his friend couldn’t see Carl from the top of the cliff, and the way his bark echoed made it impossible to locate him. Finally, they contacted a neighbor whose son, Bert Echols, had a drone. The son immediately came out and used the drone to search for Carl. It wasn’t until the first light of the next day, though, that the pup was finally spotted.

Thankfully, Carl had fared better than most humans would after falling off a cliff and was still alive. Since they had no way to reach the dog, the men called a non-emergency county number and hoped someone would come help. They did.

Unfortunately, due to where Carl landed, the rescue mission proved challenging. The small ledge the dog landed on was about 100 feet above a sharp embankment, and in the end, members of several different fire departments in the area had to come together to rescue him.

Additionally, per a Facebook post from the City of Dickson Fire Department, “Members of Dickson Fire’s SORT (Special Operations Response Team) were deployed over the edge using high angle rope rescue systems. These mechanical advantage systems provide the safest means to lower, and raise, rescuers and victims…even our four-legged ones.”

This was a true ‘Miracle’ Pup

Grissom was terrified for his canine companion, who hasn’t left his side since his wife was killed in a home burglary five years ago. He reportedly stated, “I was heartbroken. I was scared to death.”

A video shared with Storyful by Echols showed the daring rescue, with two SORT members rappelling down the cliffside to get to Carl. Once they reached him, they carefully picked him up before placing the pup inside a duffel bag. Once Carl was secured, the trio went back up the cliff, where the dog was reunited with his relieved and emotional owner.

Grissom purportedly shared that a vet checked Carl over, and though the dog was shaken and thirsty, he had only minor injuries. And, since dogs are super resilient, after the doggie equivalent of ibuprofen and a couple of days’ rest, the five-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo was back to chasing balls and running around like normal.

As Echols reportedly said, “It is a miracle that that dog lived.”

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