Coast Guard saves stranded dog after he fell off cliff: Watch the dramatic rescue

A dog was rescued by the United States Coast Guard and reunited with his family after he fell down a cliff in Oregon on New Year’s Day.

Leo, the dog, fell off a cliff in Oregon's Ecola State Park onto a secluded beach below, where he became stranded, as per the USCG.

USCG aircrew from Astoria was deployed to assist local rescuers from Cannon Beach, Nehalem Bay, and Seaside to safely rescue the dog, said the USCG, adding that the aircrew arrived just as first responders were "setting up to rappel down the cliffside".

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Dramatic rescue

Footage shows a dramatic rescue as a USCG rescue swimmer is lowered onto the beach with a hoisting basket from the helicopter. The rescuer could be seen slowly approaching the injured dog before placing him into the basket. The two are then safely lifted off the beach into the helicopter.

"This your first dog rescue, Jason?" the pilot could be heard asking the rescuer in the video.

"First dog rescue," responds the rescue swimmer.

The helicopter then landed onto a parking lot around 4:15 p.m., where Leo was reunited with his owners, who were waiting for him there with a blanket. The owners hugged their pet and the rescuer as he handed Leo over.

"Aww. Hugs. Hugs all around," a member of the USCG aircrew could be heard saying in the video footage to which another said: "I love it."

'So thankful he is alive and expected to recover'

The next day, USCG shared an update from the Leo's owner saying that the dog is doing well and is expected to recover.

"Leo stayed overnight at an emergency vet," said the owner. "He has a few cuts and bruises. All things considered, he is doing good. We are so thankful he is alive and expected to recover."

Ecola State Park is about 80 miles northwest of Portland along the Oregon coast.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.