Rescue Team Helps Dog That Survived Long Fall Off Colorado Mountaintop Reunite with Her Family
The Alpine Rescue Team saved a 3-year-old Aussiedoodle named Zola on Sunday after the pup fell from Torreys Peak
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A rescue group sprang into action after a pup fell off the east side of Torreys Peak in Colorado on Sunday.
The Alpine Rescue Team received a call about the dog in need earlier this week. The team was told that a 3-year-old Aussiedoodle named Zola had fallen down Torreys Peak, and the pet's owners, who were with the dog at the time of the accident, were unsure if the canine survived the fall.
Alpine Rescue Team spokesperson Jake Smith told VailDaily that the side of the mountain that the dog tumbled down was "pretty sheer." Torreys Peak has a 14,267-foot summit.
"There was definitely a part of them that was probably preparing for the worst," Smith said of the owners, who did not know where Zola was located after the fall.
"When we met them at the top, they were pretty somber. As they learned the dog was alive and we were going to move forward with the rescue, I think they were pretty ecstatic," he added to the outlet.
Seven volunteers spent eight hours tracking down the Zola, eventually spotting her with binoculars stuck on the face of the mountain.
According to VailDaily, it's estimated that the dog fell 600 feet before resting on the sheer mountain face. Members of the Alpine Rescue Team hiked to the dog's location and checked on her well-being.
"When we were able to get closer visual contact with the dog, we could see she was still alive but was injured — not critically injured but not able to get down on her own," Smith said of Zola.
Images on the rescue team's Facebook show the pup as a little black dot on the face of the mountain, surrounded by stretches of white snow.
Since Zola needed assistance getting down the mountain, the Alpine Rescue Team zipped the pup into a rescue bag and completed the "technical rescue" by hiking the pet back to her grateful family.
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The pup reportedly had some abrasions and wouldn't walk on her back leg after the fall, but is otherwise unharmed after the scary plunge.
"She was so mellow for us," Smith said of Zola. "She was so sweet. She just sat in a backpack. We tried to get her some water, and we had some snacks with us because she had been there for almost 8 hours at that point. She was just super tired and super relieved."
The rescue team noted on social media that it was "incredibly happy" to have returned Zola to her owners.
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