Dog rescued after surviving 60-foot fall from Michigan cliff and spending night alone on Lake Superior shoreline
A dog named Dancer was rescued after surviving a 60-foot fall at a park in Michigan, the National Park Service said Thursday, marking the second time in less than two weeks that a canine has been found alive after plunging off a high cliff.
The 3-year-old pooch was off her leash at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Wednesday when she fell off a cliff near Miners Castle onto a ledge about 60 feet below. Her owners were unable to find her and were even "convinced she had not survived," park officials said in a news release.
Pictured Rocks Park Rangers received a notification of the lost dog and enlisted the help of the Superior High Angle Rescue Professionals – a local rope rescue team – to help recover the pup from a dangerous section of the Lake Superior shoreline.
Three members of the team went into the area Thursday morning and found a "cold, but alive Dancer," the National Park Service said. When the rescuers arrived, she was "excited" to see them despite trying to stay warm all night, according to park officials.
Dancer, who had been described as a "professional troublemaker," was reunited with her family and is recovering, according to park officials.
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, America's first national lakeshore, has distinct coastal features and its located along the southern shore of Lake Superior.
"With this year's mild start to winter, many areas of Pictured Rocks are more accessible than they are most years" Chief Ranger Joe Hughes said. "It is still important to remember to be prepared for slippery, cold conditions that can change quickly."
Dancer's rescue comes over a week after the Coast Guard saved a different 3-year-old dog that also fell from a cliff. This dog, a golden retriever named Leo, was walking with his owners when he fell 300 feet at Oregon's Ecola State Park. In a dramatic rescue caught on camera, a Coast Guard helicopter crew was able to get Leo to safety and reunited him with his owners.