Rescue on the Rock
Pathetic pooch plucked from park precipice

Gallup fire fighters Josh Bond, Nate Emerson and Michael Hoffman stand atop the cliff and look for the best way to rescue a stranded blood hound Friday at Red Rock Park near Gallup. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff writer

Gallup fire fighter Michael Hoffman tries to coax a dog up the last bit of rock Friday morning while trying to rescue the blood hound after it got stranded Thursday on the edge of the cliffs at Red Rock Park near Church Rock. The dog was rescued shortly afterward when firefighter Josh Bond used safety ropes to descend the rocks. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

GALLUP — Gallup firefighters scaled a sandstone cliff at Red Rock Park Friday to rescue a stranded bloodhound.

The dog whimpered and cried as it stood stranded on the cliff about 200 feet from the ground as firefighters determined how they would reach the animal.

Romie Calderon, of the local animal shelter, said Red Rock Park officials reported the situation to shelter employees at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, but were unable to reach the dog before nightfall.

Calderon said two dogs, the bloodhound and a German shepherd, were initially stranded on the cliff, but the German shepherd found its way to safety before firefighters arrived for the rescue Friday morning.

Shelter employees suspect the dogs became stuck on the ledge while chasing a heard of sheep that commonly frequent the area.

Firefighters Nate Emerson, Michael Hoffman and Josh Bond climbed the large rock and reached the location feet above where the dog stood, happily wagging his tail.

The rope technicians whistled and called for the pooch who remained stuck out of fear of the height above him.

Bond later rappelled from a rope to the dog’s location and attached a safety harness to the animal, so he could be pulled to safety.

“He was a happy dog,” Hoffman said of the bloodhound’s demeanor when emergency personnel rescued him.

The firefighters, with the dog in tow, walked down the rock where the animal was whisked away by shelter employees for an exam to determine whether he sustained any injuries.

The dog did have a collar around its neck, so officials hope to find the owner within the next few days. Calderon suspects the dog had been stranded since Thursday. He said dogs can go without food or water for more than a week.

Lt. Joe Espinosa, of the Gallup Fire Department, said it is common for the agency to rescue animals, particularly cats who are stuck in drainage ditches or on top of telephone polls.