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WASART rescues dog near Mud Mountain Dam

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 6, 2026

By Ray Miller-Still

Night fell quickly as Washington State Animal Response Team secured Pepper for a steep climb. Photo courtesy WASART
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Night fell quickly as Washington State Animal Response Team secured Pepper for a steep climb. Photo courtesy WASART

Night fell quickly as Washington State Animal Response Team secured Pepper for a steep climb. Photo courtesy WASART
WASART said Pepper was “a great sport” during the entire operation. Photo courtesy WASART

The Washington State Animal Response Team recently rescued a dog near Mud Mountain Dam.

According to March 4 Facebook post, Pepper fell down a steep hillside on Feb. 26.

It took WASART crews 20 minutes to hike to Pepper’s location, which was 60-feet down a loose hillside with a vertical drop below her; a volunteer was lowered to down to her, clearing branches along the way and keeping Pepper calm for a safe ascension.

As night fell, crews used a twin tension rope system to haul her up the hillside.

Pepper remained calm and was a “great sport” during her rescue.

“Once back at the top, Pepper was happily reunited with her family—with plenty of tail wags. We then packed up all of our gear and hiked out together with Pepper,” WSART posted. “Rescues like this are why we do what we do. It’s why we train, why we deploy, and why we dedicate so many hours preparing for these calls. Helping animals and their owners in times of emergency is at the heart of WASART’s mission.”

WASART is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that began in Enumclaw; to make a donation, go to wasart.org.

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