An off-duty fire captain and his dog were rescued from a cliff after the dog fell and the firefighter tried to save it Thursday afternoon.
John Kitsco was walking his dog, Lu, at the Scarborough Bluffs, as he often does, when the 14-year-old pooch fell about nine metres over the edge of a cliff.
“He just seemed to fall over. He’s never done that before,” Kitsco said.
Kitsco’s firefighter training kicked into action. He grabbed a 50-foot piece of rope from his nearby home, and made his way down the cliff to the stranded dog.
He made it down safely before he ran into a problem.
“I got stuck, and I couldn’t get up and I couldn’t get down,” Kitsco said.
He used his cell phone to call 911 and firefighters arrived on the scene, including some of Kitsco’s coworkers.
Both were pulled to safety, though Kitsco, who is a 21-year veteran firefighter, said he was a little embarrassed about the whole incident.
Kitsco said he is also worried about his dog, who he will take to the vet for a check-up.
“Lu, he’s got an issue with his hips and he looks a little sore,” Kitsco said.
