Dog rescued from cliff after chasing bighorn in Oswit Canyon
A local dog spent Tuesday night on the edge of a cliff in Oswit Canyon after escaping its yard and chasing bighorn sheep before the Palm Springs Police Department's search and rescue team reached the thirsty but happy pup on Wednesday morning.
"It sounds like the dog was chasing some bighorn sheep, it's a herding-type breed so that's essentially what they do, and it ended up along the hills and trails chasing the sheep before it looks like it slid down a cliff and got stuck there overnight," said Tamara Wadkins, media specialist with the Palm Springs Police Department.
The dog's name is Talulah, according to Wadkins, although the pup wasn't clear if that's Talulah with one "l" or two.
Oswit Land Trust, which owns and manages Oswit Canyon, got a report about a dog spotted running around Oswit Canyon on Tuesday. When Oswit's conservation ranger, Scott Collins, visited Oswit Canyon Wednesday, he initially didn't see the dog but saw bighorn sheep through his binoculars up on top of a cliff, according to Jane Garrison, president of Oswit Land Trust.
The bighorn sheep were grunting and distressed, and Collins then spotted the dog moving on a ledge down below the sheep, about 75 feet above the canyon floor.
Search and rescue team members hiked up to near where the dog was then rappelled themselves down to the cliff, secured the dog with a harness, and rappelled the dog down to safety, according to Wadkins.
"The dog was very cooperative, very sweet, a little thirsty and hungry," Wadkins said.
The dog was taken to Palm Springs Animal Shelter, where it will be reunited with its owners.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Dog rescued from cliff after chasing bighorn in Oswit Canyon
