A deaf dog is safe after falling down a 100-foot hill, thanks to San Diego Humane Society officers rescuing the pooch.
Hobo, an 8-year-old Australian Shepherd, fell into a ravine near his home in Sorrento Valley. One San Diego Humane Officer arrived at the scene and climbed down the steep hill with loose rock to reach Hobo. But the hike up was too steep and dangerous, and he called for backup.
Coming to the Rescue
“Members of the ERT Technical Response Unit rushed to the scene, setting up safety lines to rappel down the steep terrain. Five team members were required to cut the dog free before securing him for the climb up. The rescue took four hours, and we are all so relieved that Hobo is back safe with his family!” according to their Facebook post. The society posted the rescue video on Instagram.
The rescue was made even more complicated because, not only is Hobo deaf, but he also has arthritis and other mobility issues. And he landed in some “really thick brush” that was difficult even for humans to navigate, Lt. Clint Ganus of the rescue team told CNN affiliate KGTV.
Return to Safety
“It was a miracle…Thank God for the Humane Society,” Hobo’s pet parents Dave and Julia Plant told CNN, adding that Hobo won’t go near the ravine again, and that they’d be keeping him on a short lead for a while.
“He’s incredibly friendly, very tame and trained to herd cows and very deaf; progressively deaf,” they added. Of course, having a deaf dog comes with its own challenges. They explained that they first became parents to the canine after he approached Dave at work. Though they first tried to work out if he had a family, nobody claimed him.
Hobo was “all wiggles,” when he was finally free, Ganus said. “All my team members had big smiles on their faces. Seeing that reminds me, you know, why I come back and do what I do every single day.”
