The rescue gets underway at Guisecliff. Photo: Derek Hammond/UWFRA
A mountain rescue team was called out to retrieve a dog that had become trapped in a rock cleft in North Yorkshire.
It was a repeat performance for Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, whose members rescued a dog from the same hole just over a year ago.
The Grassington-based team was called out today to Guisecliff in Nidderdale, where spaniel Paddy was stuck in the rock crack.
A team spokesperson said: “Luckily some other passing dog walkers heard Paddy whimpering and called North Yorkshire Police who requested the assistance of UWFRA.
“A small team of local members were deployed and met Paddy’s owners who were waiting at the top of the 6m [20ft] deep hole that Paddy fallen down.
Paddy is reunited with his owner. Photo: Derek Hammond/UWFRA
“Members climbed down, quickly packaged Paddy in the animal rescue bag and hauled him out to be reunited with his relieved owners. This was the first use of the animal rescue bag since it was purchased following the rescue of Sophie the boxer from the same hole a year ago.”
The team, which carries out rescues both on the fells and in the caves of the eastern Yorkshire Dales and surrounding areas, is becoming adept at dog rescues. As well as bringing Paddy and Sophie to safety, the association’s volunteers gained national fame when they rescued an emaciated dog from the summit ridge of Buckden Pike.
The lurcher-saluki cross was discovered close to death near the monument to Polish airmen who crashed on the fell. The dog, subsequently named Wufra as an anagram for the team’s initials, was nursed back to health by vets and an animal sanctuary in Grassington.
Guisecliff is a favourite site for dog rescues for the team. The area, close to the Nidderdale Way, has more than 70 rock-climbing routes and a reputation for being notoriously overgrown on many routes.
Derek Hammond, who was involved in today’s rescue, said after the 2014 incident: “We have been called out to about half a dozen similar dog rescues at this site. The fire service know we have the expertise to do the job safely. We rescued a dog earlier this year, not from exactly the same hole, but one very close.”
