‘It’s a miracle’: Dog survives 60-foot fall at Elora Gorge

A search and rescue operation is being described as miraculous after a dog survived a 60-foot fall at the Elora Gorge Conservation Area.

“I felt my heart drop,” said owner Becky Popiolek, who recalled hearing her dog named Willow had gone missing last Wednesday.

Popiolek was camping at the conservation area with her family and was tubing when she heard Willow had escaped, despite having a leash and collar on.

She quickly learned the dog was spotted on the other side of the gorge, which is fenced off to keep the public away from the approximate 60-foot drop.

Popiolek said it was Grand River Conservation Authority park staff who gave her the horrific update.

“I’m sorry to tell you, but she fell off the gorge,” recounted Popiolek.

Deputy Fire Chief Jonathan Karn says the Centre Wellington Fire Department responded to the scene Wednesday night around 7 p.m.

“We were contacted by GRCA security staff, they let us know that they had witnessed a dog over the edge that fell, it was about a 60 feet drop,” said Karn.

Firefighters rappelled over the cliff edge to begin the search in what Karn described as a fairly wooded and grassy area. Daylight soon turned to darkness though, and the search was called off with no further sign of Willow.

The next day, Popiolek attempted to locate Willow herself to no avail. She had also already taken to social media to generate awareness about her missing dog.

Finding Willow

Friday morning, Popiolek’s family was scheduled to end their camping stay and return home to Ingersoll, just as the animal recovery group Ground Search and Rescue KW arrived to the scene.

“We were contacted two days after [Willow] had fallen,” said Kathryn Burtenshaw, Cofounder and President of Ground Search and Rescue KW. “Some volunteers went down to canvass the area. We wanted a second set of eyes, let’s see if we can discover her.”

Burtenshaw said her team has an infrared camera and the park rangers brought them out to the area where they knew the dog had fallen.

Across the water, their heat-sensing scope was able to capture Willow lying on the ground.

“She wasn’t moving at first,” Burthenshaw said. “There were fears she may be deceased.”

The involved parties quickly coordinated to request rescuers to recover her.

The Centre Wellington Fire Department responded once more, and used an inflatable raft to get to the other side of the river and get Willow.

“The dog was alive, it had gone down 500 yards down river from where it fell and we initially were searching,” said Deputy Fire Chief Karn. “She did travel a pretty good distance.”

Karn says the responders knew Willow was a bit skittish as she had already been a rescue dog, but she didn’t put up a fight.

“We think she knew that we were there to help her.”

Willow was transported to the Elorga Gorge Animal Hospital for testing and assessment, but was largely unscathed.

“It was so much relief,” Popiolek said. “I started crying when I saw her, sank to the floor, hugged her. It was a miracle.”

Popiolek said she’s only had Willow for about three months as she’s a rehomed rescue animal, whose already been through a lot in her short life.

She was very afraid of people before this traumatic incident and had even just recently given birth to puppies.

“It is a miracle. When I got her back, I was expecting broken bones, internal bleeding… but miraculously, she doesn’t have any broken bones. She has pretty good bruising, lung contusions, but there was no internal bleeding.”

Community support

While Willow’s condition was a lot better than anyone expected, there were still associated veterinary bills. It’s something that didn’t sit right with Burtenshaw and her volunteer group.

“With a fall like that, no owner is ever expecting to pay for a bill,” Burthenshaw said. “You don’t ever think your dog will fall off a 50 to 60 foot gorge.”

Ground Search and Rescue KW appealed to the community for financial help, and in a short amount of time, enough money was raised to cover the emergency vet bills and follow-up care.

“This restores my faith in humanity, good things happen when different organizations all come together.”

The sentiment is shared by Deputy Fire Chief Karn who recognized the collaborative efforts that resulted in this happy ending.

Popiolek herself is thanking everyone involved including the responding firefighters, the rescue group volunteers, donors, veterinary teams in Elora and London, and GRCA park staff.

GRCA response

The GRCA provided a statement saying they’re grateful to everyone involved in the search and are delighted Willow was safely rescued.

“The Elora Gorge Conservation Area is a beautiful place. It is also a deep gorge with steep slopes and cliff edges,” read a statement from GRCA spokesperson Serena Catania. “Incidents such as this serve as an important reminder for all visitors to be aware of their surroundings, remain on marked trails and exercise caution while exploring the area.”

The GRCA is also encouraging pet owners to keep animals close and under direct supervision while visiting parks and conservation areas.