Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/missing-colorado-dog-found/
One of the greatest fears of any pet owner is to have their pet go missing.
But this story has a happy ending thanks to brave rescuers and a microchip.
A Colorado family searched every day for their beloved dog who went missing two weeks ago. They refused to give up hope and were overjoyed when they received a call from the Humane Society of The Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) saying they had found Jessie Lee.
The adorable pup had survived on her own in the wilderness for two weeks before she was spotted stuck on a cliff 50 yards above Fountain Creek.
The humane society’s Animal Law Enforcement (ALE) team rushed to save the dog after receiving the call.
Officer Barker and Johnson located the dog on the rocky cliff but couldn’t reach her. Thankfully, a man who lives in the area had mountain climbing gear he loaned to the officers.
The risky rescue involved Officer Barker rappelling down to the dog on unstable footing.
“Officer Barker anchored herself to a sturdy wooden fencepost and began rappelling down to the dog. Once the dog saw Officer Barker, she immediately started to wag her tail and crawl towards her, but the ground was slipping out from underneath the dog,” posted the animal shelter.
Officer Johnson quickly grabbed the catch pole and lowered it down to Officer Barker who secured the dog by the neck and shoulder.
“Once the pup was finally in the arms of Officer Barker, Officer Johnson lowered a secondary rope which was securely tied into a makeshift harness for the dog,” stated HSPPR.
Once both the dog and officers were safely off the cliff, they discovered the dog’s name tag that read “Jessie Lee”. She was brought back to the shelter and her owners were immediately notified, thanks to her microchip.
“Our team in Lost & Found gave them a call, and before we could even tell them the good news, Jessie Lee’s owner was asking if we found their beloved pup,” wrote the shelter.
The family arrived first thing the next morning to pick up their sweet girl.
People praised the officers for their heroic efforts but also noticed one of them was named Barker. “That’s fantastic! And how perfect that the officer’s name is Barker,” commented one person.
HSPPR is the largest animal welfare group in Southern Colorado and reunited 4,700 lost pets with their families last year. They advise pet owners who have lost their pet to do the following three steps: search pets online, submit a lost pet report and visit the shelter, and update microchip contact info.
This happy reunion is a good reminder to keep your pet’s microchip information updated.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
