Dog named Smudge tumbles off trail and gets stuck on steep cliff, Oregon rescuers say

A dog was rescued after falling from an Oregon trail and getting trapped on a steep cliff, rescuers said.

The dog, named Smudge, fell from a Botanical Gardens trail in St. Helens, Columbia River Fire and Rescue said in a Wednesday, Jan. 24, Facebook post.

After members of the St. Helens Fire Station arrived, they realized Smudge “could not be rescued by (conventional) means” and called in help from the Columbia County Technical Rescue Team, which has been specially trained for “high/low angle rescues,” rescuers said.

Columbia River Fire and Rescue, along with other agencies, got Smudge to safety, according to rescuers.

The fire station also shared a photo of rescuers alongside Smudge after his rescue.

“Thank you for being there with us and rescuing our sweet boy,” a Facebook user commented on the photo. “You are all heroes.”

St. Helens is about 30 miles northwest of Portland.

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.