Dog trapped on river bank cliff saved by firefighters near Grande Prairie

A northern Alberta dog named Toby is safe and back home with his family after a high-stakes rescue from a cliff overlooking the Red Willow River on Wednesday.

Fire crews from Grande Prairie County were responding to another call near where Toby was perched, when one of the firefighters noticed him.

“The firefighter noted the dog appeared to be stranded and was unable to get back up to level ground or down to the river,” Fire Chief Dan Verdun said in a release.

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Once the first call was wrapped up, the high angle rescue team was dispatched to help save Toby from the ledge.

Grovedale and Wembley fire crews supported the team by providing a dinghy to take the firefighters to the site, since Toby was in such a remote location on the river.

“Once we crossed the river, it took an hour and a half of hiking to find a location where we could rig rope rescue equipment to access Toby, who was stranded on a sandstone outcropping cliff,” said fire captain Mike Shykora.

“After he was secured, we brought him back down 80 feet to the awaiting boat and back to the staging area.”

Once Toby was safe, attention turned to returning the dog home. Through social media, fire services was able to find his owners and relocate him with his family who was “overjoyed and relieved that their friend had been found.”

Toby’s family includes two kids, ages three and six.

Toby had last been seen at Spring Lake — over 100 kilometres from where he was rescued. Firefighters think he was able to survive his stay on the ledge by drinking water from a small puddle.

“The County of Grande Prairie is thrilled that such a happy reunion could take place with the return of Toby to his family,” Verdun said.

The city of Grande Prairie is about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.