ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST — Search and rescue team members hoisted a stranded dog to safety Saturday after it tumbled 150 feet over the side of a steep cliff during a hike with its owner, authorities said.
A man was hiking with his dog shortly before 5:45 p.m. in the Dark Canyon area of the Angeles National Forest, off of Angeles Crest Highway about 5 miles north of the Foothill (210) Freeway, when the dog fell over the side of a hiking trail, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
The 100-pound animal tumbled down a steep cliff and became trapped in debris, officials said. The owner was unable to rescue the dog himself and went to a nearby U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station to seek help.
Members of the sheriff’s Montrose and Sierra Madre search and rescue teams responded.
“Working in the rain and fog with 24 rescuers, the teams were able to rapel down 150 feet of a steep cliff to retrieve the dog who was stuck in debris,” according to the sheriff’s statement.
Team members calmed the frightened dog as they attached it to a hoist to they could being the animal back to the trail, officials said. The pet was then loaded onto a stretcher to be carried out of the canyon.
“The dog has minor injuries from his fall and is recovering with his grateful owner,” the statement said.