Golden retriever tumbles off cliff near Cannon Beach, launching Coast Guard’s first 2024 rescue in Oregon

The saga of Leo, a 3-year-old golden retriever, proves that cats aren’t the only animals blessed with nine lives.

On New Year’s Day, Leo fell down a nearly vertical 300-foot hill at Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach, resulting in serious injuries. He ended up in an inaccessible spot on the beach.

The owner’s call for help resulted in the first U.S. Coast Guard rescue of 2024 in Oregon.

A helicopter crew arrived from Warrenton, hovered over the beach and lowered a rescue swimmer and basket down to the dog.

That morning, Alexa Fery and her fiancé, Cody Chimienti, both 26, had decided to take Leo and drive from their home in Forest Grove to the Oregon Coast.

They met up with other family members, some with their own dogs, to hike along a trail, one that nearly claimed the life of a German shepherd last summer when she fell down the steep hill.

Leo was named because of a dream, but this day became a nightmare.

“I always wanted a golden retriever,” Fery said. “I had a dream I had one, he was named Leo and when we got this good boy that’s what we named him.”

During the hike, Fery said she and Chimienti lost track of Leo, who was not on a leash. Her father said the dog ran past him “really fast.”

They went looking for him and found themselves peering over a ledge. They spotted Leo way down below on the beach. He looked hurt.

“I knew the beach was not accessible by foot and the tide was coming in,” Fery said. Trying not to panic, she called 9-1-1.

Crews from the Seaside and Cannon Beach fire departments mobilized at about 3 p.m. They quickly showed up and began figuring out how to use rappelling gear to inch their way down the steep hill to the dog. The severity of the incline was going to make it a difficult descent – and even harder to bring the dog back up.

Then they thought of a better way.

A Seaside Police Department dispatcher reached out to the U.S Coast Guard station in Warrenton.

The Coast Guard agreed to take on the mission.

“We launched a helicopter crew,” Petty Officer Steve Stromeyer said. “They lowered a rescue swimmer. He saw the dog had some visible injuries. He was able to calm the dog down, give it some attention and gingerly put him in the basket.”

And up in the air went Leo.

“I’m sure the dog was terrified, the helicopter is loud,” Stromeyer said. “They got to the top of this hill, landed in the parking lot and the dog was reunited with its owners.”

Given what the Coast Guard team often deals with – searching for missing people in the ocean – Stromeyer said it was a good call to start 2024.

“This was a real chance to help,” he said. “It was a good outcome.”

Fery said it was “unreal” to see her dog in a basket being lowered to her in the parking lot.

“He looked really lethargic,” she said. “I was super worried.”

She and her fiancé drove Leo to an emergency veterinarian clinic in Beaverton, Oregon.

There, the couple learned Leo’s jaw was broken in three spots. Two teeth were broken, his body was bruised, and the doctor found air in his chest cavity.

Leo spent two nights in the office, and on Wednesday was sent to a veterinary dentist for jaw surgery.

“We have the deepest appreciation for the first responders and the Coast Guard,” Fery said. “We would not have Leo if it wasn’t for them. We are forever thankful to them.”

Fery said the medical bills are expected to be about $10,000, and so she and Chimienti have put up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.

“Given the fall, everyone is surprised he lived through it,” Fery said. “It’s incredible. We learned an unfortunate lesson. No matter how well behaved your dog, is it’s always safer to have him on a leash. We should have done that.”

Fery said they plan to bring Leo home Wednesday night, adding: “We’re just going to love on him.”