GRAND COUNTY, Utah, Nov. 11, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Grand County Search and Rescue crews came to the assistance of a dog who became trapped on steep cliff face outside Moab.
A Facebook post from Grand County officials said the dog, Nika, fell about 50 feet near the head of Long Canyon, west of Moab, in the early morning hours of Saturday, Nov. 3.
“Nika, a 6-and-a-half-year-old Collie mix from Salt Lake City, appeared to be relatively uninjured and in a stable position,” the news release said. “Since a technical rope rescue would be even more risky than usual in the dark, it was decided to wait until first light to perform the rescue.”
A member of the search and rescue team rappelled down to Nika’s location.
“A dog carrier that had been rigged to a litter was lowered to him,” the news release goes on. “Nika was placed in the carrier and raised back to the top of the cliff. She had a few scrapes but appeared to be in very good shape after her long ordeal.”
As Nika had never met the rescuers, it took additional skills not traditionally taught to SAR members to get her into the kennel rigged for extraction, the news release said.
“Ultimately, this was accomplished by putting her in backwards,” the news release said. “It takes a wide breath of skills to be part of this stellar team. Thanks for all you do, GCSAR.”
