Members of Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue reunited an owner with her dog after it plunged 40-feet into a cavern of snow and ice created by an avalanche at Stewart Falls on February 3. The dog, named Beeroo, was walking off-leash with his owners on Saturday, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. An avalanche from the week before had caused 40-feet of snow to pile up at the base of the falls, and the falling water created the giant hole that trapped Beeroo.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Your heart really just falls out,” said hiker James Bobb, who saw Beeroo vanish while exploring a mound of snow left by an avalanche beside a waterfall, KSTU reported.
A friend told owner Yichoo Su that Beeroo had probably died, but fellow hikers dug a hole and spotted the 4-year-old dog in a hollow space melted out by the waterfall.
A Utah County Sheriff Search & Rescue team was dispatched a few hours later after responding to a series of avalanches. According to a post shared by the team’s Facebook page, crew members had to dig in the snow to retrieve the dog.
After digging another hole through the bridge of snow and ice over the cavern, a rescuer rappelled 40 feet down to Beeroo and brought him up in a harness. Beeroo was cold and had some injuries, but no broken bones. He had spent about 8 hours in the hole before the 9:15 pm rescue.
“He’s my family, definitely my family, I cannot live without him,” Su said, KSTU reported.
Footage from the incident, which was shared on social media, shows the emotional reunion between the dog and its grateful owner.
