Members of the Maury County Fire Department were dispatched to the remote banks of the River Duck early Monday morning and managed to rescue a dog trapped along a steep embankment higher than most buildings in the area .
Captain Tommy Stanfill said the dog, a coon hound named Angel, was trapped along the riverside under a 30- to 40-foot cliff in the greater Yanahli Park area off Sowill Mill Pike and Rieves Bend Road east of Columbia.
Volunteer firefighters from three surrounding stations, Nos. 1, 10 and 12, were dispatched to the scene in the afternoon as the department’s team of rope specialists led the rescue.
Firefighter Mikey Garcia pushed back off the cliff and retrieved the animal before the two were brought to safety.
“He got down and was able to grab the dog, tied him to him, and we lifted him, over the cliff,” Stanfill said.
The chief said the rescue went smoothly despite the remote location and slippery conditions after several days of snowfall the previous week.
“We have some great guys, and they did a great job,” Stanfill said. “There were no complications, everything went exactly as it should. It was truly a team effort.
The dog was recovered without injury.
“Angel was very happy to see someone,” Stanfill said. “When we got to her it was muddy and happy to be saved.
“We train for different events and we’re always trying to hone our skills, so when these weird situations arise we are able to handle them,” Stanfill added.
The Maury County Fire Department is a voluntary organization of approximately 150-200 volunteer firefighters.
The department operates from 12 stations spread across Maury County’s 620 square miles, inhabited by approximately 100,000 people, using 10 engines, five tankers, five brush trucks, a mobile air unit and six support vehicles.