Denver Woman Falls Off Cliff Trying to Save Puppy

A woman was attempting to rescue her friend's dog at a trail near Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado, when she fell 30 foot off a ledge.

San Miguel Sheriff's Office said that a 25-year-old woman was out exploring with friends on the trail leading to the waterfall, near Telluride on Saturday, when her dog slipped off a path and fell 15 feet into a narrow chute.

One male from the group went down the cliff to catch the puppy, in case it fell any further, while another woman attempted to reach the three-month-old puppy, named 'Blue', from another angle. The woman trying to rescue the puppy then fell, but the man below was able to break her fall.

"It was a big fall, she would have likely been very seriously injured or killed after that fall," Chris White, search and rescue coordinator for the San Miguel Sheriff's office told Newsweek. "He didn't flinch and he caught her and broke her fall."

The San Miguel County Search and Rescue team arrived on the scene. The dog's positioning above the man and woman below was perilous, as it could potentially cause rocks to fall on the injured people below. Rescuers used a rope and pulley system to pull the woman up the slope as soon as possible.

Both the man and the woman sustained non-life-threatening injuries. They were treated at the Telluride Regional Medical Center and the woman went on to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction.

"After the patient's extrication, rescuers then set up a technical rope rescue to retrieve the puppy," said the San Miguel Sheriff's office.

Eighteen-year-old Wiley Holbrooke, on his first search and rescue assignment and tasked with retrieving the frightened puppy, was able to attach the dog to his harness belt and hoist it up, delivering it to safety.

"He was super brand new," said Susan Lilly from the San Miguel Sheriff's Office of Holbrooke, "but he has a great rock climbing skill set," she said to CBS4 Denver.

"He borrowed his mom's electric bike and rode several miles to make it to the rescue site," said White to Newsweek.

The dog sustained no injuries. It took three and a half hours to bring all parties involved to safety.

"We're always very proud of our team that we have, they work hard to help complete strangers, sometimes putting themselves at risk," said White.

San Miguel Search and Rescue is a volunteer-based organization, covering approximately 1,200 square miles in the county, in areas up from high desert to altitudes of 14,000 feet. The team's members are trained in various skill sets and provide 24-hour service.

This article has been updated with a comment from the search and rescue team from the San Miguel Sheriff's Office.