(WWJ) — A dog named Dancer is recovering after a rope rescue team saved her following a fall from a cliff at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
It happened Wednesday evening at the national park when the 3-year-old dog got off her leash and fell off a cliff near Miners Castle onto a ledge 60 feet below, according to park officials.
Dancer’s owners had searched the area for hours, but were unable to find their dog in the dark. They were “convinced she had not survived the fall,” officials said.
Later that night, Pictured Rocks Park Rangers were alerted to the lost dog and enlisted the help of Superior High Angle Rescue Professionals (SHARP), a local rope rescue team, to recover the dog from the treacherous section of Lake Superior shoreline.
SHARP members Erik Olsen, Westley Shaffer, and Tyler Davis went to the area Thursday morning and were able to locate a cold, but alive Dancer.
“Though she had spent the night trying to keep warm, she was excited to see rescuers,” a post on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Facebook page said.
The dog, whose owners describe as a “professional troublemaker,” was reunited with her Minnesota-based family and is “recovering well,” according to park rangers.
“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.”