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Copter rescues dog from Calif. cliff

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A rescue worker dangling from a helicopter plucked a stranded dog from a Northern California seaside cliff.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department reported Sunday that a black Labrador named Oreo somehow made its way half-way down a 90-foot cliff along the county’s Pacific coast and could not get back up. With the surf pounding below, a descent was not an option. So the department’s helicopter was called in.

The dog was perched on a 2-foot-square ledge when the helicopter crew arrived shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday at Portuguese Beach, about 20 miles west of Santa Rosa.

After the scared dog refused entreaties to climb back up, the decision was made to dangle a sheriff’s deputy about 100-feet below the helicopter. After determining the dog was not afraid of the helicopter’s noise, the dangling deputy was able to attach a rope to the dog’s harness and pull it to safety after about three minutes in the air.

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A large crowd of beachgoers who gathered to watch the rescue on the unseasonably warm and sunny Saturday afternoon broke into applause.

Oreo was reunited with his owner.

Associated Press