Puppy Rescued From 350-Foot Slot Canyon

Jul 2nd 2010

Rescuing puppies isn't for the faint of heart. Case in point, the daring puppy rescue that Zak Anderegg carried out while rappelling into one of Utah's slot canyons.

Two weeks ago, Anderegg set out to explore the scenic Arizona-Utah border when he came upon a shocking site: an animal trapped at the bottom of one of the region's famous deep and narrow canyons. Looking over the canyon's edge, Anderegg thought the animal might have been a small calf. "And then the longer I looked at him, I realized he's actually a dog," Anderegg told "Today." An animal lover, Anderegg was exactly the right person at the right place and time to help save the pup's life.

Anderegg called his wife and told her his new mission. "When I saw him, my heart just absolutely broke," Zak said. "Within about 10 seconds of realizing what he was, my plan shifted from vacation to rescue." Without hesitation, Anderegg left the canyon to round up some help in a nearby town. He returned with food, water, and a cat carrier donated by the local animal hospital.

Anderegg rappelled back down the canyon to feed the stranded dog, but it seemed unable to even eat. Estimating that the stranded animal was only "24 to 48 hours away from death," Anderegg placed the puppy in the borrowed cat carrier and hoisted him all 350 feet up and out of the canyon, using his climbing ropes and a pulley.