The US Coast Guard this week performed one of the first heroic events of the new year: rescuing a golden retriever that fell off a cliff on New Year's Day.
In a thread on X, formerly Twitter, the Coast Guard reported that its aircrew launched a rescue mission for a golden retriever named Leo who was stranded in Ecola State Park. "The rescue swimmer was deployed and moved the dog into the hoisting basket. The helicopter landed in a parking lot at 4:15 pm to reunite the dog with its owners," said the agency, which also shared footage of the operation.
The pooch was responsive but showed signs of shock and pain. A team at Tanasbourne Veterinary Emergency treated Leo with pain medication and IV therapy. Doctors said Leo had sustained a pneumothorax, causing breathing difficulties, pulmonary contusions, lacerations, bruises, a broken canine tooth and a broken jaw.
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Leo fell 300 feet below the cliff after he'd run while walking alongside his owners (Gofundme)The golden retriever has a long path to recovery before him, according to the GoFundMe. He will be visiting a canine dentist who will remove the pooch's broken tooth and run a wire through the three fractures in his jaw.
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Doctors will hold Leo for a second night to ensure "his vitals are stable to undergo the surgery and be anesthetised. Leo's owners, Alex Fery and Cody Chimienti, established a GoFundMe page to offset veterinary bills. However, the couple received such overwhelming support they reached their monetary goal within three days. Now, as their page has collected $24,832(£19,521), the owners have disabled donations and are looking for a charity to donate the excess funds to.
Authorities used the incident to remind pet owners of the dangers of walking a dog without a leash (Gofundme)The couple underscored how much they love Leo on the page. "Leo is the sweetest three-year-old Golden Retriever. He loves to play Chuck-it, go to the dog park, and play fetch. His party trick is to wait patiently with a ball on his nose until Mom or Dad says “okay!” He’s got the best disposition of any dog we’ve known."
Officials said at the time of the rescue that Leo's "current condition" was still being determined. “First responders were setting up to rappel down the cliffside when the #USCG crew arrived,” the Coast Guard said, adding that it teamed up with other fire departments from Cannon Beach, Nehalem Bay, and Seaside "to ensure a safe rescue."
Leo's owners, Alex Fery and Cody Chimienti, said they garnered more than enough money on GoFundMe (Gofundme)A day following Leo's rescue, the Coast Guard posted the hoist cam footage on X. Other videos showed Leo's saviors returning him home to his owners who engaged in a rocking hug before leaving. "Leo stayed overnight at an emergency vet,” Leo’s owner said in a statement shared by the Coast Guard. “He has a few cuts and bruises. All things considered, he is doing good. We are so thankful he is alive and expected to recover."
Leo will be seeing a canine dentist for his broken canine tooth and jaw (Gofundme)The Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District said in a post on Facebook that the agency was set to grab their climbing gear and go after Leo, but the Coast Guard beat them to it. “Cannon Beach personnel were ready to rappel down the cliff side when Coast Guard arrived and was able to retrieve the dog and was reunited with the owner.”
The agency exemplified the incident as reason to be extra careful when bringing a pet to the coast, writing: "it is not perfectly safe. We'd like to remind everyone to keep dogs on leash when hiking unless other wise stated 'Dogs Allowed Off Leash' on the state park website.”
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