Firefighters Get Creative To Rescue Dog

On Thursday, firefighters in Alpine, Calif. responded to a call that a dog had fallen 15 feet down the crevice of a fractured boulder and was trapped.

Getting the dog out of the deep, narrow space turned out to be quite the challenge, reports Sign on San Diego. First, firefighters attempted to pry the boulder apart using the Jaws of Life. No luck.

Then they tried rescue air bags. Still, there wasn’t enough space for the dog to get out.

That’s when the the Alpine Fire Department became even more creative. They doused the trapped animal in vegetable oil to make it easier to slide the dog out of the rock. They got a good grip on the dog by using ropes and a pole to lasso the dog’s back legs which were the ones they could reach. Then, finally, they lifted the dog up, pulling it to safety.

The small dog was unharmed and reunited with its owner.