Injured Dog Rescued on Remote N. Oregon Coast Shore After Falling Off Cliff Near Cannon Beach

Published 06/18/23 at 5:51 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) – Hiking on Oregon coast trails that are elevated and on the edges of cliffs has its dangers no matter how far back you are, and that's especially true if you've got a dog with you. (All images US Coast Guard)

Just that kind of hazard was illustrated earlier this week as on June 14, as US Coast Guard crews rescued a dog that had fallen off a cliff at Ecola State Park at Cannon Beach.

About 7 p.m. on that Wednesday, Coast Guard Air Station Astoria was alerted that a German Shepard had taken a tumble off a cliff at the popular north Oregon coast state park, sliding 300 feet to a remote section of Tillamook Head. The US Coast Guard said this area was only accessible by repelling down from the trail above it.

The German Shepard was visibly injured and limping in the video shared by the US Coast Guard. Cannon Beach Fire Department had initially responded but called in the Coast Guard.

About 8:20 p.m., the helicopter crew arrived on the scene, sending down a swimmer to retrieve the dog. The video gets rather dramatic here, showing the rescuer get smacked by heavy surf as he climbed a steep slope of large, rounded rocks. These are precarious enough under normal conditions, but with massive flippers on you have to scoot yourself up the slope backwards.

Shortly after that, the video switches to the swimmer and the dog in the rescue basket getting hoisted into the helicopter. The real poignant moment shows the owner hugging a rescuer that returns with the female dog, back at the park's dry land.

“After a visit to the emergency vet, the dog's owner reports that his pup is doing just fine,” said the Coast Guard in a tweet. “Thanks to the work of our great first responders in Astoria and Cannon Beach.”

Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department requires hikers to have their dogs on a leash while on trails. Partially for the benefit of other hikers, it also helps prevent issues like this. MORE PHOTOS OF THE RESCUE BELOW

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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