At approximately 7:30 PM Kalama Fire was notified that a dog appeared to be stuck on the bluff located ab ove Old Pacific Hwy, between Bluff Road and Mt Pleasant Rd in Cowlitz County.
When Fire Crews arrived they could see what appeared to be a Golden Lab mix-breed scared and limping on the bluff, unable to find its way off. The owner of the dog was not initially on scene and firefighters looked for options to make the rescue. As rope rescue teams were gaining access above the dog’s location the Ladder Truck from Longview Fire was requested. With darkness setting in, slippery climbing conditions, and rain falling – if the Truck was able to gain access it would be the quickest, easiest, and safest way to affect the rescue.
Firefighters were able to use the reach of the 100′ telescoping ladder to easily gain access to the dog, which was placed on a leash, walked into the trucks bucket, and lowered to the ground. Its owner told firefighters that the dog was quite old and had been missing for two days. He was grateful to find “Zeeke” because he would be leaving on vacation in the morning and didn’t think he would have seen his dog again. Zeeke was not injured during the rescue, and seemed to enjoy his ride in the trucks bucket. The entire rescue took approximately one hour. The name of the owner is unknown.
Although firefighters typically save and rescue human lives, performing animal rescues offer excellent training for firefighters and specialty rescue teams. The injured dog on the bluff above Old Pacific Hwy could just as easily been an injured hiker, and this carefully coordinated rescue not only saved Zeeke’s life, but has better prepared the rescuers for future rescue situations.
