SILVERTON – Charlie is a dog’s dog, a mixed-breed pound pup that isn’t afraid to sleep outside, her owner said.
Now the pooch is a survivor, too.
Charlie, a 5-year-old mixture of border collie and lab, fell down a steep embankment July 29 while hiking with her master, Annie Schroeder, 48, of Seattle. The mishap occurred along the Perry Creek Trail near Mount Forgotten.
The dog slipped down a slick, mossy slope and landed on a small ledge on the side of a cliff.
A team of Snohomish County residents saved her two days later.
“Once I knew about this, I knew there was no way I would ever leave that animal up there to die a slow, miserable death,” said Monroe Fire Capt. Cindy Coker, a paramedic who led the rescue mission.
Schroeder and her sister, Mary Schroeder, had hiked about three miles when they stopped for lunch in a small clearing.
They shared their cheese sandwiches with Charlie, then let her off her leash while they finished their meal.
Suddenly, Charlie was gone.
Bushes had hidden the cliff from view. Schroeder heard the dog whimpering and saw her pacing down below.
There was nothing they could do.
“I was pretty hysterical,” Schroeder said.
The sisters stayed the night in Granite Falls. They hiked up with their husbands and a family friend the next day. They were hindered by cold, rainy weather. They also lacked the expertise to reach the dog, Schroeder said.
Their luck turned that afternoon at the Verlot ranger station.
A member of Snohomish County Search and Rescue put them in touch with Coker, a former rescue worker in Skagit County.
Coker recruited the help of another Monroe firefighter and two off-duty search-and-rescue volunteers.
They hit the trail with the Schroeders early July 31. The weather was much better. When the reached the clearing, Charlie didn’t respond to Annie Schroeder’s calls. Then, they heard her familiar yelps.
The rescue team used ropes and climbing gear to lower Coker to the dog’s ledge.
Coker built a harness for Charlie using webbing and a horse halter. The Schroeders helped hoist the firefighter and dog to safety.
“Her little face came up over the cliff, and then her whole body, and her little tail was wagging and wagging,” Schroeder said. “She looked like she hadn’t lost a beat.”
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