Dog saved from fall in canyon by Grand County Search and Rescue

A 6-and-a-half-year-old Collie-mix named Nika was rescued at Long Canyon near Moab and suffered only minor scrapes after falling about 50 feet. A team of Grand County Search and Rescue (GCSAR) members responded to the call about Nika’s fall on Nov. 3, but said the technical rope rescue would have been too risky in the dark so they waited until the following morning to rappel to Nika’s location. GCSAR’s Nadi Ardalan rappelled down to Nika and placed her in a dog carrier that was raised back to the top of the cliff. Ardalan said, “One of the tricky parts of this rescue was getting Nika into the crate — butt first finally worked out. This was such a team effort, thanks to Micah Johnson, Monica Holyoak, Kory Meidell, Frank Mendonca and Jim Webster.” [Photo courtesy of GCSAR]