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Two dogs stranded on a mesa cliff southeast of Towaoc were recently rescued by a Montezuma County Search and Rescue team during a nighttime mission.<\/p>\n
After receiving permission from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Montezuma County rescue team was deployed by Sheriff Steve Nowlin the afternoon of April 12.<\/p>\n
The two dogs had been stranded on a cliff for more than a day.<\/p>\n
Tribal officials led a group of five rescuers to the base of the mesa. Rescuers climbed a gully trail to the top then hiked for 2 miles along the rim until they were above the dogs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard a faint whimper, and were able to locate them,\u201d said rescuer Matt Barnes, in an interview on Friday.<\/p>\n
A high-angle technical rope rescue was set up, and a person was lowered to the dogs who were on a ledge 50 feet below the rim and 900 feet above the valley floor.<\/p>\n
After much coaxing with food and water, the dogs were secured and taken to the top of the mesa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were friendly dogs, a little scared, hungry and thirsty,\u201d Barns said. \u201cIt went really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dogs were uninjured, and returned to their grateful owners. One was so exhausted, it was loaded into a backpack for the return hike across and down the mesa.<\/p>\n
The rescue effort took about 8 hours and much of it occurred at night. Rescuers completed the mission after midnight.<\/p>\n
It is not known how the two dogs became stranded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was good training for the team. It was a success,\u201d Nowlin said of the rescue.<\/p>\n
Montezuma County Search and Rescue<\/a> is an all volunteer nonprofit organization.<\/p>\n