{"id":4867,"date":"2026-02-09T01:48:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T01:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/?p=4867"},"modified":"2026-02-09T01:48:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T01:48:26","slug":"after-senior-dog-falls-down-icy-cliff-owner-thought-he-was-gone-forever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/?p=4867","title":{"rendered":"After Senior Dog Falls Down Icy Cliff, Owner \u2018Thought He Was Gone Forever\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A 16-year-old lab mix sneaked away from his owner, stumbled on ice and slid backward down a cliff in Virginia<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The moment left the dog\u2019s owner feeling \u201chelpless\u201d before officials in Giles County stepped in to rescue the senior dog<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThey put it all on the line,\u201d the owner said in a statement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/working-dogs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:dog;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">dog<\/a> owner felt \u201chelpless\u201d after his senior dog fell down an icy cliff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The canine, a 16-year-old lab mix named Oakley, sneaked away from his owner, stumbled on ice and slid backward down a cliff in Giles County, Va., on Jan. 28, according to CBS affiliate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wdbj7.com\/2026\/01\/30\/senior-dog-rescued-after-sliding-down-icy-cliff-giles-county\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:WDBJ7;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">WDBJ7<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a statement to the local station, the unidentified owner of the dog explained the feeling of seeing Oakley fall off the icy cliff.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI was helpless, watching my dog slide and having no way to reach him. I thought he was gone forever. They fought so hard to bring my baby home,\u201d the owner said, referring to Giles County Animal Control (GCAC) and other rescue personnel who aided in rescuing Oakley.<\/p>\n<p>GCAC Chief Bill Ahern and Officer Jacob Taylor spearheaded the rescue effort for the senior dog after receiving a call for help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:\u00a0PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">\u00a0PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The duo called John Butler, a drone pilot for Giles County Emergency Services, to assist in locating the fallen dog who was now missing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cHe was able to see all the way down at the base of the cliff; he was able to see some dog tracks,\u201d Ahern told WDBJ7.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">At this point, they recruited the Virginia Department of Transportation to request a road grader to make a pathway toward the dog tracks.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Dog paws in snow (stock image) Getty\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/WLcQlAtSE5kBeklPad1Srg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/03d9971413d022cf6cab016f0e22750a\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<div style=\"max-height:none;overflow:visible\"><i>Dog paws in snow (stock image) <\/i><\/p>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cRight before they actually entered the tracks, they saw the dog down there and were able to call it and get him into the truck,\u201d Ahern recalled of the heartwarming rescue. \u201cAnd we just couldn\u2019t believe when they said, \u2018He\u2019s OK, and we\u2019re coming home with him.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Expressing gratitude to the team for rescuing Oakley \u2014 uninjured \u2014 the pet owner said in the statement, \u201cThey put it all on the line and went above what a job description would list as their responsibilities and duties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI would like to thank them again from the bottom of my heart,\u201d the owner continued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/senior-dog-falls-down-icy-cliff-owner-thought-he-was-gone-forever-virginia-11898092\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW A 16-year-old lab mix sneaked away from his owner, stumbled on ice and slid backward down a cliff in Virginia The moment left the dog\u2019s owner feeling \u201chelpless\u201d before officials in Giles County stepped in to rescue the senior dog \u201cThey put it all on the line,\u201d the owner said in a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}