Hiker, dog rescued after dog falls off Waialae trail
The Honolulu Fire Department deployed its Air 1 helicopter and a dozen personnel today to rescue a hiker and her dog after the 45-pound canine fell off the Wiliwilinui Trail in Waialae.
HFD received a 911 call at 10:36 a.m. reporting the female, whose age was not provided, had been hiking for two hours with her leashed, mixed-breed dog when the animal plunged off the trail and could not be seen but could be heard, according to a news release.
Four HFD units staffed with 12 personnel were dispatched, with the first unit arriving to secure a landing zone at Waialae Iki District Park, where rescuers boarded Air 1 and loaded the necessary equipment onto the aircraft for a search-and-rescue operation, the release said. With the help of the hiker’s cellphone, they were able to plot her geolocation “with a high-level of confidence” at about two miles from the trailhead.
After spotting the hiker, a rescuer was dropped at her location at 11:23 a.m.
“While assessing the situation, the HFD rescuer discovered that the hiker was also off of the trail on the slope of the ridge after trying to rescue her dog and needed to be rescued first,” the release said. “Other personnel were flown in and inserted to assist with setting up the anchors and rope rescue system to hoist the hiker and dog back on the trail to safety.”
One of the rescuers then descended down to the hiker, secured her into a harness, and both were hoisted back onto the trail at 11:33 a.m. The rescuer descended again, this time about 40 feet below the trail along the mountain, to reach the dog at 11:43 a.m. A harness was placed on the animal and both were hoisted to safety at 11:59 a.m., the release said
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Neither the hiker nor the dog were injured, so the animal was leashed and both descended the trail under their own power, HFD said.
The department noted that the American Kennel Club recommends keeping dogs on a short leash “for safety, courtesy and control. An off-leash dog can disappear out of sight making it hard to control and prevent them from getting into trouble.” Other tips can be found at akc.org.
