Dog trapped on ledge after 40-foot tumble off cliff, California firefighters say

Firefighters who rescued a dog that tumbled 40 feet off a sandy cliff over the ocean onto a ledge received plenty of rewards, California officials and news outlets reported.

“He was happy. He knew he got rescued. He was wagging his tail. He was giving everyone kisses,” Rescue Capt. Samuel Menchaca of the San Francisco Fire Department told the Associated Press.

The dog fell off a cliff at Fort Funston just before 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, firefighters said in a video posted to Instagram.

Fort Funston is a former military installation overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco. It is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The dog became trapped on a ledge about 40 feet down the cliff, firefighters said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

A San Francisco Police Department drone helped locate the dog and also took video of the rescue, officers said in a post on X.

A firefighter climbed down the cliff on a rope, attached a harness to the dog, and both were lifted to safety atop the bluff, firefighters said in the Instagram video.

The dog, who was unhurt, was reunited with its owners.

This story was originally published November 2, 2025 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Dog trapped on ledge after 40-foot tumble off cliff, California firefighters say."