Rope team rappels down into a rock quarry to rescue a mutt named Rippy

NORTH CAAN, Conn. — It was the bark that saved Rippy, a mutt who fell deep into a working quarry.

After passersby and even a drone failed to locate the lost dog, rescuers, attracted by his barking, raced down the walls of the pit and lifted him out three days after he went missing, according to a local animal control officer .

The owner of the 30-pound terrier mix reported Rippy went missing while out for a walk in North Canaan on May 4. A local animal shelter first received notice of the barking days later.

Shelter staff asked a volunteer to fly a drone over Specialty Minerals’ quarry, but they couldn’t find him.

“We believe he was hiding in a crevice where the thermal imaging couldn’t pick him up,” said Lindsey Burr, North Canaan wildlife officer.

When the quarry workers were on their lunch break the next day, Rippy’s barking could be heard again. Quarry managers said they could not reach the dog, so firefighters were called. Two members of a rope team then climbed down a cliff and retrieved the mutt.

“He could have been stuck there since Saturday night,” Burr said. “We know he was there for at least 24 hours.”

Burr said Rippy had some scratches and a limp when he was rescued, but he was checked out by a vet and is recovering at home.

“He felt good, went home that evening, had a nice bath, got freshened up and was very happy to see the family,” she said.

Rescuers said it’s not the first time an animal has fallen or become stuck in the quarry, and some have not been as lucky as Rippy, who was not seriously injured.