A Mission family has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend after their dog was rescued from a bad fall down the Ruskin Dam.
Stephanie McDonald says her husband was out at his work site near the Ruskin Dam on 287th Street in Maple Ridge Saturday morning with his son and their pit bull cross named Cooper when the dog chased after a pigeon and jumped over a five-foot barrier.
The dog fell down a hundred feet, but managed to hold on to a ledge on the side of the dam.
“Right at the very end of the drop, there is a small ledge,” says McDonald. “If he would have fallen either direction, he would have fallen into the water from the dam. It could have been much worse.”
The family called RCMP and animal rescue, but were told it was too risky to rescue the dog.
Left with few options, they turned to friends, family and social media for help.
Hours later, a co-worker of McDonald’s husband, who is a rock climber, offered to help rescue Cooper.
He grabbed his gear and repelled down to reach the dog.
“My dog was very scared and skittish,” says McDonald. “He is anxious already, so he was not very comfortable.”
Cooper’s rescuer spent another half an hour petting and coaxing the dog before putting him into a backpack and roping him up.
The dog was taken to a veterinary hospital, but only had a minor scratch.
Regardless, “it was a pretty traumatic day,” says McDonald.
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