There’s nothing more terrifying than when your pet goes missing, and when they’re spotted on a cliff that’s over 20 feet high, it’s time to call for emergency action.
Luckily, this runaway pup was brought back to the ground uninjured, and a Colorado rescue team shared the thrilling story onto Facebook. The post instantly went viral with 2.9k likes and over 1.4k shares as people commended the rescue team for their quick thinking. Turns out the daring yellow Lab had had a lucky escape!
Mowgly the Labrador was on a very exciting camping trip with some friends of his owners. They were staying near the Coulson Gulch Trailhead, next to Johnny Park in northwest Boulder County, a scenic area with lots of cliffs and creeks for Mowlgy to explore. In their viral Facebook post, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said:
‘ Shortly after arriving, the campers noticed Mowgly had disappeared. Mowgly’s owners, along with many of their friends, began hiking the mountains from Coulson Gulch to the North Saint Vrain Creek looking for him, and posted signs and electronic messages asking recreators to be on the lookout for him. Their search efforts spanned all three days Mowgly was missing.’
Naturally, Mowgly’s owners became frantic when they couldn’t find their beloved pooch.
And when the days passed and the adventurous lab still hadn’t been spotted, they began to fear the worst. But then on June 5, 2020, three days after Mowgly had been reported missing, there was some news. A dog resembling Mowgly had been spotted on top of a 20-ft high cliff, and he looked absolutely exhausted. Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said:
‘Mowgly was lying near a large tree near the North Saint Vrain Creek on a small section of dry land, surrounded by rock cliffs that left him unable to move further. Mowgly likely fell into the North Saint Vrain Creek but was able to crawl out onto the small 20-foot piece of land up a small shoot between the rocks near the tree.’
Three swift water rescue teams rushed to the clifftops to get Mowgly to safety.
It took quite a while to set up the rope rescue system that would help to safely lower the tired pooch to the ground, especially given the tricky terrain and rough waters of the creek. BCSO said:
‘Establishing the rescue system required two rescue swimmers to locate a suitable location on the creek that was calm and safe enough for them to cross.’
Amazingly, Mowgly was said to be calm throughout the whole rescue. He was no doubt exhausted from spending three days up in the cliffs, and he knew that these kind humans were here to rescue him.
Even when he was placed in a dog rescue harness and sent down his very own zipline, the adventurous pup didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. What a little adrenaline junkie!
Once back to safety, Mowgly was checked over and found to be miraculously uninjured. He was then returned to his family, who we bet were absolutely overjoyed to see him again.
‘If not for the dedication of Mowgly’s family and friends pursuit to find him, it is unlikely he would have been found in time,’ BCSO said.
They also commended the three rescue teams for their amazing efforts: The Lyons Fire Protection District, Boulder Emergency Squad, and the Boulder Fire Department. Without the quick thinking of these men and women, Mowgly’s outcome might have been very different.
We’re so happy that Mowgly made it back to the ground safely, thanks to the amazing efforts of his family, friends, and all of the rescue team involved. We don’t think this cheeky guy will be straying far from his family in the future.
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