Dauntless and friend make it out of the gorge. On Wednesday 8th of March call-handlers from the Team were made aware of a crag-fast farm dog south of Machynlleth.
Dauntless, a two year old bitch, had run into a steep sided gorge near Aberhosan earlier in the week, and the owners had made a number of attempts to encourage her out or get down to her, all without success. In the end they called the Police to request Mountain Rescue assistance.
Given the time of day, and in order to maximise team availability, the rescue attempt was postponed until first thing Thursday morning. A group of twelve volunteer rescuers attended the call-out, and started the process of moving crag-rescue equipment up the steep mountain side to the side of the gully.
"At first things didn’t look so good" said Team member Graham O'Hanlon who attended the rescue. "The dog had been spotted late the previous day, and had been quite vocal in letting everyone know where she was, but as we made our way up the hill there was no noise and no movement. I wasn't the only one who feared the worst."
Unable to get a good view into the bottom of the gully, it was decided to lower a rescuer into the gorge for a better look. On the second descent, a small static bundle of fur was spotted on a rock ledge, and it looked like Dauntless had not survived her ordeal. However, as the rescuer got closer, an ear pricked, a tail wagged, and all was well. Dauntless, seemingly fine from her time in the gorge bottom, was packaged into a rescue sack and was hauled back to the top of the gully where she was reunited with her owners.
"We were all very pleased things worked out well for both dog and owners. We rely on the co-operation and forbearance of the farming community as we go about our rescue business, so it is good to be able to return the favour every now and then. Such rescues also provide us with valuable training to keep our rope rescue skills as sharp as they can be" said Graham.
Dauntless, a two year old bitch, had run into a steep sided gorge near Aberhosan earlier in the week, and the owners had made a number of attempts to encourage her out or get down to her, all without success. In the end they called the Police to request Mountain Rescue assistance.
Given the time of day, and in order to maximise team availability, the rescue attempt was postponed until first thing Thursday morning. A group of twelve volunteer rescuers attended the call-out, and started the process of moving crag-rescue equipment up the steep mountain side to the side of the gully.
"At first things didn’t look so good" said Team member Graham O'Hanlon who attended the rescue. "The dog had been spotted late the previous day, and had been quite vocal in letting everyone know where she was, but as we made our way up the hill there was no noise and no movement. I wasn't the only one who feared the worst."
Unable to get a good view into the bottom of the gully, it was decided to lower a rescuer into the gorge for a better look. On the second descent, a small static bundle of fur was spotted on a rock ledge, and it looked like Dauntless had not survived her ordeal. However, as the rescuer got closer, an ear pricked, a tail wagged, and all was well. Dauntless, seemingly fine from her time in the gorge bottom, was packaged into a rescue sack and was hauled back to the top of the gully where she was reunited with her owners.
"We were all very pleased things worked out well for both dog and owners. We rely on the co-operation and forbearance of the farming community as we go about our rescue business, so it is good to be able to return the favour every now and then. Such rescues also provide us with valuable training to keep our rope rescue skills as sharp as they can be" said Graham.