Dog ‘right as rain’ after fall from cliff

A partially deaf Jack Russell who fell 20 to 30 metres down a sheer cliff face into Giba Gorge has found his way back home.

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Durban - They say cats always land on their feet, but a Jack Russell from Kloof is living proof that this is not a trick reserved exclusively for our feline friends.

Jack, who is 17 years old and partially deaf, this past week fell 20 to 30 metres down a sheer cliff face in Winston Park, and disappeared into Giba Gorge, below.

But the plucky pooch survived and traversed hill and dale - quite literally - to find his way back to civilisation a day later.

“I’m beyond delighted,” Jack’s owner, Lynlee Watson, said on Thursday after she was re-united with her beloved pet.

“I thought he was dead.”

The Daily News first met Watson on Wednesday, while Jack was still missing.

Watson was beside herself.

She said she was walking her six dogs in a field near the gorge earlier in the morning.

Jack was pulling at the lead, she explained, so she let him go.

“In hindsight, I shouldn’t have let him go, but we’ve walked the dogs there before,” Watson said.

The next thing she knew, Jack was bolting towards a sheer drop at the end of the field.

“I called him, but he just leapt right over,” she said.

Worried that her other dogs would follow Jack, Watson quickly rushed them back up to the house, belonging to a friend, where she was staying.

By the time she returned, there was no sign of Jack.

Local emergency organisations, including the Winston Park Guardians, Rescuetech, SACAN and Giba Gorge staff immediately mobilised and spent the greater part of Wednesday scouring the area, even enlisting the services of a sniffer dog, but to no avail.

Then, on Thursday, Jack wandered into the Giba Gorge Business Park, and not long afterwards, was re-united with his owner.

The area where Jack was thought to have landed was covered in thick, dense vegetation, and the general thoughts were that this must have cushioned his fall, and that he must have gone on running, deeper into the gorge.

“I was just in shock when it happened,” Watson said, “I felt so irresponsible.”

She said contrary to her initial thoughts - when Jack went flying off - “that he must be dead”, he was absolutely fine.

“I dropped him at home and he had something to eat and drink and he’s right as rain,” she said.

Watson said she had been “blown away” by the support systems that had kicked into place. “People are very caring,” she added.

bernadette.wolhuter@inl.co.za

Daily News