Jessica Johnston was airlifted out of Arahura Valley — a remote, mountainous region on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island — after falling 180 feet downa waterfall. But rescuers were unable to locate Molly, her border collie, who had been hiking with her before the fall on March 24. For a week, no one knew if the dog was dead or alive.
Matt Newton, the owner of Precision Helicopters — a helicopter company based in Hokitika, about two miles from where Johnston was airlifted — heard about the missing dog and decided to help.
“This is a very small community,” Newton said. “You tend to hear what’s going on.”
Although Precision Helicopters mainly focuses on tourism and conservation, Newton said, they also help with rescue efforts.
“We get a lot of those calls,” he said.
Newton flew to the area the day he first heard that Molly was missing.
“We knew the dog was lost in the mountains, and the owner was in a bad way in the hospital, and probably in a bad way mentally because she missed her dog,” Newton said. “I reached out to her and let her know that we would look for her.”
Over the next few days, Newton returned three more times to the rugged valley in search of Molly, but the forest was too dense, and the terrain too steep and rocky to spot her from the sky.
“We were starting to think it would be great to get some better gear,” he said.
His daughter, Lillian Newton, suggested starting a fundraiser to cover the cost of a more advanced search flight using drones and thermal imaging equipment. They shared the idea online, and within one day, more than $6,300 poured in from about 160 people, Newton said. They raised enough to fund a multi-hour helicopter search with a small rescue team and specialized equipment.
“I’m just absolutely blown away by the generosity,” he said, noting that many experienced hikers and rescuers reached out offering to help, too.
Newton and his daughter assembled what they called an “A-team” for the rescue mission. They scheduled a flight for Tuesday morning, the first day with clear weather. The night before, Newton gathered his family’s six dogs and did a “prayer circle” with them.
“We manifested that the dog was okay,” Newton said.
Georgie Du Val, a vet nurse and thermal imaging specialist, traveled about 150 miles from Christchurch with her equipment to join the search after seeing a Facebook post about Molly.
“I rang Matt immediately and was like, ‘I have to help,’” said Du Val, who owns a company called Independent Thermal Imaging. “It’s just such a tearjerker thinking about Molly out there alone in the cold.”
Wayne Holmes, a volunteer crewman, also joined the flight, bringing his dog Bingo.
“Sometimes dogs are more inclined to talk to other dogs than people,” Newton said, explaining that they brought Bingo to act as a “lure” in case Molly was skittish.
The plan was to scan the area from the air and, if necessary, do a ground search. But after about one hour of flying, the thermal camera detected something.
“We could see it glowing,” Newton said. “Within seconds, we could clearly see that it was a dog.”
The heat detection was located near the base of the waterfall — not far from where Johnston was airlifted.
“She was just looking at us, waiting to be rescued,” Newton said. “Molly was quite happy.”
“When we saw her, the waterworks just flowed,” Du Val said. “You just can’t really help it.”
Newton, who piloted the flight, hovered low over the uneven terrain, as there was nowhere flat to land. Meanwhile, Holmes was lowered with Bingo and offered Molly some sausage. She was wet and cold, but otherwise in astonishingly good condition.
“We were all just choking on emotions,” Newton said. “It was just as emotional as rescuing a person.”
Given that Molly didn’t appear malnourished, Newton said she likely survived off possums and other small animals. He also believes she did not fall with her owner, as she had no injuries.
“I think she somehow made her way to that waterfall,” he said. “She was surprisingly well … she just knew how to look after herself.”
Holmes and the two dogs were lifted back onto the helicopter, and Molly was reunited with Johnston shortly after.
“When Jess turned up … she ran over and kissed her on the nose,” Newton said. “You could just see the connection between them.”
Johnston did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. Newton said she was “bruised from head to toe” from the accident, and she has a large laceration on her arm.
“I reckon she’s going to heal real fast now that she has her dog back,” he said.
In a Facebook comment, Johnston expressed her gratitude to the rescuers and those who donated to make the mission possible.
“I’m absolutely blown away with the support everyone has given her so far from the kindest of strangers,” she wrote. “Thank you for helping bring my Molly back home.”
Newton said he’ll never forget the way strangers stepped up for an animal in need.
“There’s just something about a dog,” he said.
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