After six long days missing, Tyson’s family had begun to fear they might never see their beloved dog again.
Instead, his remarkable adventure ended with a firefighter dangling from a rope on the side of a volcanic crater, an improvised harness known rather unfortunately as a “nappy”, and one very relieved dog being hauled to safety.
Tyson disappeared in Mount Gambier, South Australia, along with the Camilleri family’s other dog, Odo.
Odo was found earlier in the week, but as the days passed without any sign of Tyson, hopes of finding him safe began to fade.
Then came the breakthrough.
SA Water workers aboard a boat on Mount Gambier’s famous Blue Lake spotted Tyson stranded on the steep cliffs surrounding the volcanic crater.
Somehow, the dog had made his way about 100 metres over the edge of the walking track and become trapped on a tiny ledge, unable to climb back up or continue down.
People had reportedly heard a dog barking in the area from Tuesday, but nobody had been able to work out exactly where the sound was coming from.
Once Tyson was finally spotted, getting him home was going to require considerably more than a packet of treats and someone calling his name.
Metropolitan Fire Service crews were called in and enlisted the help of the State Emergency Service, with rescuers using a drone and specialist rope equipment to reach him.
The terrain was treacherous, with steep slopes and sheer rocky drops of up to 30 metres.
Firefighter Joel Van Eeten was lowered down the cliff face towards Tyson, but reaching the stranded dog was only half the challenge.
He then had to convince Tyson that this strange man arriving by rope was, in fact, the good news.
MFS station officer Jarrod Petschel said it took about five minutes for Joel to win the big dog’s trust. Once he did, however, Tyson apparently had no interest in hanging around.
“Once Tyson had confidence in Joel he was like, ‘Get me out of here,’” Mr Petschel told the ABC.
Joel secured Tyson using what firefighters call a “nappy” – a rescue harness designed for people – before attaching a lead and beginning the painstaking journey back up. The haul alone took about 30 minutes.
Waiting above were Tyson’s family, who had spent almost a week wondering what had happened to him.
Owner Will Camilleri said the family had feared that the walk he took with Tyson the night before the dog disappeared might have been their last together. Instead, Tyson emerged from his extraordinary ordeal tired, thinner – and amazingly, otherwise unharmed.
“He was completely unscathed, no scratches, no blood, nothing at all,” Will said. “We were really blessed.”
For Mr Petschel, who has helped rescue everything from cats and koalas to possums, bats and macaws during his career, Tyson’s rescue was something special. He said he “swelled with pride” watching the dog make his way back up the cliff towards his waiting family.
And Tyson? After six days lost, stranded on a cliff and surviving without proper food and water, he celebrated his return in perhaps the most dog-like way possible.
“He just laid there,” Mr Petschel said, “and everyone rubbed him on the belly.”
Frankly, after a week like that, he’d earned it.
Images: Metropolitan Fire Service
