(Image credit: Elizabeth Maki).

By Aaron Schulze

Peterson Creek Park

Kamloops woman calls for signage after dog careens over cliff in Peterson Creek Park

Sep 29, 2022 | 11:37 AM

KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops woman is renewing a call for signage near the top of the canyon in Peterson Creek Park after a traumatic close call with her dog.

Elizabeth Maki says she was hiking in Peterson Creek with a friend Monday (Sept. 26) morning when her springer spaniel fell off the edge of a cliff.

Maki says she noticed a mild drop-off as they and were crossing the creek and coming closer to a ravine. Although as she went to put her dog back on a leash, the springer spaniel had run down the hill and skidded across the path and straight off the edge.

“I screamed her name. I watched, she bounced three times off the rocks on the way down,” Maki told CFJC Today. “My friend grabbed me to keep me from going too far to see her I scrambled down where I could look down, and she got up and was looking at me. I couldn’t believe she’d had even survived the fall.”

After unsuccessful attempts to find a spot to grab her dog that wasn’t too steep, Maki called Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR). KFR scattered the area, found a safe spot and used their rope rescue equipment to guide the dog out.

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(Image credit: Elizabeth Maki).

(Image credit: Elizabeth Maki).

From there, it was a quick trip to Kamloops Veterinary Clinic.

“They couldn’t believe their eyes when she came in tail wagging on all four legs,” Maki says. “But she had a full checkup, X-rays, ultrasound and blood tests within 15 minutes of us arriving. She was given a clean bill of health. She’s just got some cuts and bruises over her torso and head, but it looks like no internal damage.”

Maki and her family avoided worst case scenario, although she doesn’t want any other dog owners to go through her experience. She says from what she’s seen from comments on her posts online, and from what KFR told her, pets have fallen at Peterson Creek Park and some people never got them back.

“It’s not an uncommon area for horrible falls,” Maki says. “There’s no signage if you’re coming from the top end of the canyon to indicate that it gets to such a steep point, or there’s such a horrific drop off right there. I’m usually pretty good about knowing my surroundings and environment, but it just happened. It was there with no warning. Knowing what your paths are like before you let your dog be off leash has been an important lesson for me, although I never really thought we’d be in danger like that.”