Miraculous rescue: Dog who crashed and was presumed dead is back

On Friday, June 28, a 61-year-old man from Germany was walking downhill with his dog from the 2,501-meter-high Säntis towards Schwägalp. In the area “nostrils” the dog was playing on a snowfield for a while, after which she slipped and fell into the depths. The owner could see the dog motionless in the steep terrain below with his binoculars. Despite a long wait and constant calling and whistling from the owner, the man could no longer detect any reactions from his dog. Shocked and convinced that his ‘Ayla’ did not survive the fall, the 61-year-old went down and then went home.

Eight days later, on Saturday morning (July 6), the cantonal police of Appenzell Innerhoden received a report that a dog was in the Alpstein, in the area of ​​the nostrils, on impassable terrain in a meadow. However, there is no trace of the owner. Based on this report, specialists from “Alpine Rescue Switzerland” and Rega Air Rescue went to rescue the animal. The dog was handed over to the cantonal police and then to a veterinarian.

Care and search for dog owners
Because the authorities still had to assume that the animal owner had also crashed in impassable terrain, Rega carried out a search flight in the area. At the same time, an intensive search was conducted for the animal’s owner using the dog’s chip number.

Thanks to the Pet Register of the Federal Republic of Germany (TASSO), the breeding facility was eventually located, which ultimately led the police to the animal’s owner. The man from Baden-Württemberg was overjoyed to hug his “Ayla” again on Sunday.