Dog missing for three days rescued from Oregon cliff

ESTACADA, Ore. — Three days after falling off the side of a cliff, a chihuahua has been reunited with her family thanks to the hard work of rescuers.

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Flora, a 9-year-old chihuahua, was on a road trip with her owners Robert and Diane when she sneaked out of the couple’s RV when they had pulled over, KPTV reported.

“Got out, open the side door, fixed what needed to be fixed, shut the door, then walked around the vehicle to drive away,” Robert told KPTV.

When they noticed Flora was missing, the couple turned around.

“By the time we got there, she had been running all around and almost run over two or three times,” Robert told KPTV. “People were scurrying around and they saw her running around by the edges of this brush and wooded area and then just disappear.”

Robert and Diane were unable to find and capture the dog. Days later, two Erika Alabarca and Julia Fogg were out paddleboarding when they heard a yelp.

“As we were nearing the bridge on Estacada Lake, I heard a yelping from a dog,” Alabarca told KPTV. “Originally, I didn’t think too much of it. As I was paddling along, Julia looked up and saw the dog peek out its head.”

The paddleboarders called the Estacada Fire District for help.

“We’re animal lovers too so I think doing something, there wasn’t an option to do nothing,” Fogg told KPTV. “It just felt like such a community effort.”

Estacada Fire District said on its Facebook page that it was called to rescue Flora, who had fallen approximately 40 feet and was stuck on a steep rock bank. Firefighters used rope rescue equipment to climb down and rescue the dog.

Robert told KPTV he is grateful both to the firefighters and the women who called them and helped get Flora home.

“To take time out of your day to care about that. And when the fire crews arrived, there’s a call to be made, there’s decisions to be made, there’s risk versus benefit.”

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