A three-year-old labrador retriever is recovering from a 60-foot fall from a cliff at the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. Willow’s disappearance on Wednesday sparked a multi-day search. “My first thought was, this area is huge,” said owner Becky Popiolek. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, how am I going to find her?’” Popiolek and her son were tubing at the Elora Gorge when Willow, who was leashed, wandered off. Park workers eventually discovered the dog near the edge of a trail. “She just felt overwhelmed by the people around her and she ended up slipping off the edge and falling,” Popiolek said. The Centre Wellington Fire Department responded to the call for help and rappelled down the side of the cliff. “We did what’s called a rope rescue,” explained Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Karn. “It was about a 60-foot fall into a very wooded area, between the wall and the river. We had three rescuers that were down searching for the dog, and we searched for over an hour, both up the river and down river. Unfortunately, it got dark and we had to call off our search at that point.” Popiolek posted about Willow’s disappearance in local Facebook groups for missing pets and searched for Willow on Thursday and Friday, but she had to leave the park Friday afternoon. “I was devastated,” she recalled. “I was thinking the worst. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, my dog’s injured. My dog might be dead.’” The volunteer group, Ground Search and Rescue KW, stepped in to help with the search for Willow. “We knew that they had rappelled and done all their other business, and they had kind of exhausted everything at that point,” said Lindsay Hergott. “We were like, ‘Let’s go and see.’ You never know. Maybe a different set of eyes might be able to spot her, and luckily, that was the case.”” Hergott and other volunteers spotted Willow about 500 yards down the river from where she fell. Using infrared technology, the rescue team was able to confirm the dog was still alive. “We did scope her at that point and there was red,and then we saw her lift her head. So then it was just how quickly can we get her to safety,” Hergott explained. “The dog was on the other side of the river, so we used an inflatable boat to have our rescuers go across the river and get the dog,” Karn said. “She was very quiet. She was very docile. She’d been out for a couple days without water, without food. So she let us move her right away.” Hergott was there for the dramatic conclusion. “To see them come out with the boat and do the whole rescue, and being able to witness all of that, was incredible,” she said. Meanwhile, Popiolek received a call at her Ingersoll home that she never expected. “As soon as I got home, I got the call from the ground search saying, ‘We found your dog,’” Popiolek recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I got home and then I went back.” Willow was rushed to the Elora Gorge Animal Hospital where she was diagnosed with exhaustion, dehydration and a pulmonary contusion. “I walked in and just started bawling,” said Popiolek. “I fell to the floor. [I] just hugged her and cried.” The dog was later transferred to a clinic in London for overnight surveillance. Willow is now recovering back home. While no fines were laid for the rescue’s resources, a bill was issued for the trip to the animal hospital, which was generously covered by the community. “We were able to pay the Elora bill in full with donations and now we’re going to pay for some follow-up appointments as well,” Hergott said. “Just anything that we can to support her in her recovery.” While Willow’s story had a happy ending, it also serves as a reminder to other pet parents. “At the gorge, we do have some very inaccessible areas,” said Ben Roseburgh, superintendent of both the Elora Gorge and Elora Quarry. “Outside of keeping your animals on a leash, just make sure that they’re under control at all times.” Rescues in the gorge Karn told CTV News this rescue mission was one of eight they’ve attended in the Elora Gorge so far this summer for both humans and animals. “We’ve had some people in distress, maybe they’re tubing. You have to appreciate there is a lot of activity that comes through the river,” he said. “Ensure you’re wearing all of your [personal protective equipment] as far as your lifejacket, helmet, staying tethered to your tube.” When it comes to pet rescues, fire crews don’t respond with their emergency lights like they typically would but are equipped with special equipment. “We will put a muzzle on a dog. Just when animals are injured, they don’t understand that we’re there to try and help and often we’re very close to them with out faces and our extremities,” explained Karn.
