Monday was not going well for an 8-week-old puppy in Chillicothe, Ohio, who found himself in a very precarious position. The mixed-breed pup took a tumble down a ravine, about 80 to 100 feet, and ended up in a spot where rescuers couldn’t reach him.
“Today we received a call about a puppy who had fallen down a ravine approximately 80-100 feet and landed on a slate ledge near a small waterfall,” the Ross County Humane Society posted on Monday.
“We sent staff out to see if they could safely retrieve the 8 week old mixed breed pup and it was quickly determined they could not. They could hear him crying but could not see him because he was too far down.”
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Unable to do much else themselves, the Humane Society used its platform to ask for help, and help responded in the form of Joe Lawhorn.
A Marine Corps veteran, avid cyclist and regular volunteer with the Humane Society, Lawhorn was uniquely primed for the task at hand. He volunteered his services and was able to bring the pup to safety.
“Joe quickly scaled almost 100 feet down the ravine and retrieved the puppy,” the post continued. “This puppy, who we have named Kenda was transported to North Fork Animal Clinic by shelter staff to be examined and was released to the shelter.”
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In the comments on the post, two people explained that the Ross County Humane Society had been picking up a litter of five puppies as part of its “Fresh Start” program when the one pup made a dash for it. The other four pups were brought to the shelter without incident.
In a nod to Lawhorn’s help, the puppies were all named after his cycling sponsors.
In addition to Kenda (Kenda Tire Road N Gravel), there was Rudy (Rudy Project North America), Irwin (Irwin Cycling), Marque (Marque Cycling) and Fuji (Fuji Bikes).
Kenda was checked by a veterinarian to make sure he was doing well after his big fall and was then taken to the shelter to be with his siblings. All five will be available for adoption starting this weekend.
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“The infamous cliff jumping puppies are going to be available for adoption soon,” the Humane Society wrote in an update. “We are going to start taking applications for Kenda, Irwin, Marque, Fuji, and Rudy. They received their second round of vaccines yesterday and will be ready to head into homes this weekend.
“All of the puppies in this litter are males and they are currently 8 weeks old. They are mixed breed puppies who are likely going to be 50-60lbs when full grown.”
Lawhorn has also been sharing the plight of the rescued puppies, hoping they’ll end up with someone he knows.
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“NOOOOOO I have nothing to do with the application process or approval,” he shared in a Facebook post. “I am just the guy that tries to help Jenn Thomas Amber Aspel and the rest of the staff at Ross County Humane Society.
“I do stuff like volunteer at their events, share their posts/fundraiser, do stuff like find puppies and play cliffhanger. LOL. But seriously I would like to see Kenda (or whatever you name him) get adopted by someone I know.”
With a story as memorable as this, and with the puppies being as adorable as they are, no doubt these cuties will quickly find new homes.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
