Posted on: Monday, April 25, 2005
Dog rescued after falling off trail
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
Every dog has its day and yesterday was a lucky one for Maka, as Honolulu firefighters rescued the 80-pound American bulldog that had fallen nearly 100 feet off Mau'umae ridge on the Lanipo hiking trail above Wilhelmina Rise.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser "They were awesome," said Spear, a filmmaker whose documentary "Polynesian Power" aired recently on ESPN. "They never questioned the value — that it was just a dog. Maka is part of our family. It just makes me appreciate them and what they do even more."
Kaimuki Engine Capt. Nathan Kapule explained the Fire Department treats an animal rescue as an emergency.
"When we get a call, the purpose of the call is somebody needs help," Kapule said. "We treat animal rescues as a true emergency and handle it as such, expecting the best but prepared for the worst.
"An owner is extremely concerned about (the animal) and it could potentially escalate into a situation that's more severe.
I would figure she would have gone down after the animal."
Cassidy admits she would have attempted a rescue if the Fire Department did not respond. That could have been disastrous, given the effort it took to bring the dog up safely.
The adventure started yesterday as Cassidy and Michelle Akina, co-founders of the nonprofit Hawai'i Cultural Foundation, were about halfway back from a hike to the top of the Lanipo Trail.
"Maka was walking ahead of us and turned around," Cassidy said. "She stepped off the ridge before Michelle could grab her. She was gone in a split second."
The dog slid down the side of the ridge at about the three-mile mark of the 5-mile long Lanipo Trail into the darkness of the dense foliage. "It was so thick we couldn't see her but we could hear her crying," Cassidy said. "I was ready to go down."
Cassidy called 911 about 10:30 a.m. and said firefighters, who hiked in, arrived about 12:30 p.m.
After assessing the situation, Kapule contacted Battalion Chief James Arciero to request assistance from Rescue 1 and the helicopter, which flew in rescue specialists Corey Lau and Nalu Kukea.
The helicopter had also spotted the dog. "They saw her physically trying to climb up but it was too steep," Cassidy said.
With Kukea anchoring a line, Lau went down about 80 feet and found the dog on a ledge about 2 feet by 2 feet. The wall was almost straight up from the ledge. Lau estimated the drop from the ledge to the bottom of the gulch at 500 to 600 feet.
The initial plan to pull the dog up was scrapped because Maka resisted, Kapule said.
So Bradley Chong, one of the Kaimuki firefighters, went down. He and Lau put Maka in a basket. Seven people topside — four firefighters, Cassidy, Spear and another hiker, Ryan Ketza — pulled them all up together. Kapule estimated the total weight at nearly 400 pounds.
The uninjured dog was happily reunited with its owners.
Spear and Cassidy, who is getting ready for the Hawai'i Cultural Foundation's presentation of "Pacifika" May 20 to 22 at the New York Hawaiian Film Festival, dropped by the Kaimuki fire station with Maka to thank the firefighters.
"I hate heights but I love dogs," Chong told the couple.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
An engine company from the Kaimuki station, Fire Rescue 1 and the department's helicopter were involved in the rescue effort in treacherous mountain terrain, which took 5 hours and 17 minutes to complete. The 5-year-old dog's owners, Jeremy Spear and Janu Cassidy of Waikiki, were grateful for the department's efforts and attitude toward rescuing an animal.
Maka plays with Kaimuki Engine Capt. Nathan Kapule while other firefighters and Maka's owners, Jeremy Spear and Janu Cassidy, second from left, middle, happily watch. Maka was rescued from a trail above Wilhelmina Rise — an effort that took more than five hours.
