Slip by name, slip by nature, and flippin' lucky it was for a 16-month-old huntaway that was rescued by eight Hastings firefighters yesterday after three nights trapped on a narrow ledge near Te Mata Peak.
Owner Sally Ostick was walking Slip and Jack Russell Archie on a park track when Slip vanished late on Tuesday afternoon. He remained missing despite the best efforts of a Fire Service line-rescue crew working in the dark that night.
Ostick and partner John Bird had all but given up hope of seeing her pet again when Bird thought he heard a whimper yesterday and discovered Slip on the ledge below a track.
Unable to reach the young canine, and wary of the possibility Slip could easily topple from the ledge, they called the Fire Service which led to firefighter Nicky Bates being lowered to the ledge early in the afternoon, getting the dog into a sling and getting him hauled back to safety.
Bates said later she knew she would have to "bond" quickly with Slip to avoid another fall from the ledge which was no more than 40cm wide. She used a water bottle from the fire truck to quench the trembling dog's thirst as she reached him and placed him in the sling.