A Doberman Pinscher dog is safe after falling down a 20-foot crevice at Clark Reservation State Park in Jamesville on the evening of March 16 and being rescued by emergency responders and concerned community members after a more than six hour ordeal.
Jamesville Fire Department responded to a call around 6:30 p.m. from a dog owner who had been walking their dog, named Remy, in the park and let her off the leash, where she wandered off and fell into a deep crevice.
“There was a lot of work that had to be done,” said Kevin Carver, second assistant head chief for the Jamesville Fire Department. “The crevice she had fallen into was maybe only a foot wide.”
Carver explained that Remy had fallen into the crevice and attempted to get out by herself, and ended up falling further into the hole — about 15 to 20 feet total.
Because the opening to the embankment was so small, rescuers attempted to use ropes to make a pulley system to get the dog out. Responders from the Jamesville Fire Department were assisted by crews from Pompey Hill Fire Department, the State Park Police and the Animal Control of CNY.
The toughest part of the rescue, said Carver, was the fact that there was still a lot of snow and the terrain to get to the rescue site was rough, but citizens who owned snowmobiles came and helped by bringing rescuers back and forth to the site. Crews attempted to rescue Remy for about five hours with no luck.
Syracuse native Nate Farrington said he heard about the incident from a friend who worked at an emergency veterinary service in DeWitt. Having a knowledge in rock climbing, Farrington said he thought he might be able to help out and headed to the rescue site around midnight.
“I just got my gear and headed out,” Farrington said. “I have a soft spot for dogs and I wanted to help out in any way I could.”
Farrington said he was brought to the rescue site via a snowmobile, where he set up rock climbing gear and squeezed into the crevice.
“There was a lot of dirt and ice buildup blocking my sight line to her,” Farrington said. “Eventually, we decided my gear was more of a hinderance, and I decided to take it off.”
After that, Farrington said he was able to secure a grip on the dog and lift her up to safety. He said he was down in the crevice working to secure her for about an hour.
“It was surreal. At one point, I was worried because I thought she had stopped breathing,” Farrington said. “I was so relieved when we got her out okay.”
Remy was then transported to emergency vet services, where she is currently being monitored and treated for minor injuries she sustained during the incident.
The owners of Remy have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover the costs of medical bills.
“We couldn’t be more thankful to have her recovering at the vet. We can’t wait to bring her home and we hope for a full recovery,” the owner stated on the campaign website. “We are asking for donations to help with her vet bills that occurred that night. We appreciate anything that you offer.”
You can donate to the cause at gofundme.com/helpremyy.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
