Dog Stranded For Days On Side Of Cliff Is So Happy To Be Rescued

Last week, this sweet pup named Safira disappeared from her home in rural Ituporanga, Brazil. Following a days-long search, Safira's owner was finally able to locate her.

But actually delivering her to safety would prove to be no easy task.

Somehow, Safira had ended up tumbling halfway down a 200-foot cliff in a remote region about a mile from home; in his search around the cliff's edge, her owner had heard her barking for help. Fortunately, the dog's fall was broken by a small, leafy ledge, but she stood no chance of escaping the spot on her own. By then, Safira had been three days without food or water.

Desperate, her owner called the local fire department for help, but feared they wouldn't consider Safira a priority. He was wrong.

Soon, a team from the Ituporanga Military Fire Department was hiking in to save the day.

After arriving to the cliff's edge, the rescuers began their work.

"The rescue was a difficult one," Luis Fernando, a firefighter, told The Dodo. "It is a very tall cliff. We had to repel down 25 meters (80 feet) to reach her."

Safira couldn't have been more relieved to see them. Even in her weakened state, her little tail was wagging.

"When the firefighter managed to get to where she was, she licked him," Fernando said. "She was very happy."

At the top of the cliff, the dog's worried owner was waiting for her. She had kisses for him, too.

In fact, it seemed as though all Safira wanted to do was give kisses to all those involved in saving her life.

"She was grateful," Fernando said.

And it was plain to see.

Safira is now safe and sound. Despite the dog owner's initial concern that help for his pet wouldn't arrive in time, or that the operation would be deemed too risky for firefighters to undertake, Safira's rescuers say they are grateful, too.

"This is not the first time we have made such a rescue involving a dog in that region. It is always worth our time," Fernando said. "We commend the owner of the dog, who did not give up on getting her back, and called us to make the rescue. We were very happy to be able to help."