Cave rescue team saves dog from eight-metre drop

2 hours ago

Fiona CallowYorkshire

News image — A rescuer was lowered by rope to the ledge the dog was stranded on

Cave Rescue Organisation A cave rescue volunteer, wearing a red waterproof jacket, black waterproof trousers, black safety harness and a white hard hat abseils down a green mossy rock face. — A rescuer was lowered by rope to the ledge the dog was stranded on

A dog that slipped 26.2ft (8m) onto a narrow ledge above a river was retrieved safely thanks to the efforts of a volunteer-run rescue team.

Yorkshire Dales charity Cave Rescue Organisation responded to the incident at Pecca Falls, in Ingleton, over the weekend.

A rescuer was lowered by rope before transferring the animal to team members in the river below, who then reunited the uninjured pet with its "very relieved" owners.

Jake Stapleton, an operational volunteer at the charity, said "regardless of the situation, it's very rewarding that we can be of assistance".

"Two legs, four legs, we don't discriminate," Stapleton said.

"In this case the casualty was a dog but there were some very relieved owners and that's great to be able to reunite them."

The rescue took around two and a half hours.

Because the crag face was so steep, a twin‑rope system - commonly used in ice climbing - was employed so that a rescuer could access the rocky outcrop the dog was stranded on.

Swift water volunteers then pulled the dog to safety when it reached the river.

Cave Rescue Organisation A cave rescue volunteers wearing a red hard hat, fluorescent yellow jacket with a red life vest and black waterproof trousers floats in a river, holding a brown dog. — The dog had slipped onto a narrow ledge above the river near Pecca Falls

"It may look dramatic, but the situation was actually very controlled," Stapleton explained.

"The last thing we want are additional casualties in a situation, but we train at least once a month practising these techniques."

The Cave Rescue Organisation is based in Clapham and provides services across the Yorkshire Dales National Park, extending into Lancashire and Cumbria.

Formed in 1935, it currently has more than 80 volunteers who regularly attend mountain and cave rescues, as well as assisting in other public service incidents.

Cave Rescue Organisation Two cave rescue volunteers, wearing red hard hats, fluorescent yellow jackets and black waterproof trousers stand in a river, attached to yellow ropes. The riverbed has steep, rocky sides and grassy ledges. — Volunteers waited in the river bed for the dog to be lowered from the ledge

Animal call-outs more commonly involve sheep stuck in potholes.

"We might get the occasional dog getting into difficulty; no disservice to sheep, but dogs are often more capable of getting themselves back out of trouble."

Stapleton added that public support was "essential" - but that people shouldn't be afraid to ask for help.

"We would much rather come to somebody and be able to help and have a successful rescue than people be afraid they're going to inconvenience people and the situation become a lot worse for them."

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