Dog rescues Tacoma, WA man trapped on cliff in Point Defiance Park
Tacoma, WA man reunites with team who helped rescue him
A man from Tacoma and a search and rescue team that saved his life were reunited a few days later after he got trapped on a cliff at Point Defiance Park.
TACOMA, Wash. - A man from Tacoma and a search and rescue team that saved his life were reunited a few days later after he got trapped on a cliff at Point Defiance Park.
What we know:
His family says he has memory issues and after disappearing into the woods on Saturday, he became trapped not far from Fort Nisqually.
"There is a really cool transition that you see when they stop using their eyes and their nose kicks in," said Klaudina Pasko, Secretary & Team Trainer with German Shepherd search dogs, pictured below.
Klaudina says Fenrir, her German Shepherd, has a nose for rescue. When Fen and owner Klaudina Pasko got the call-out on Saturday to Point Defiance Park, it was time to put all the dog's training into action.
"This whole place is surrounded by cliffs," said Klaudina.
Gary Christman, who was spending time with his wife and grandchildren at the zoo, wandered towards the cliff side, just before 4 p.m.
"It’s, you know, pretty steep," he said.
"I still don’t know how he got away from us," said Amalia Christman, Gary’s wife.
"As I took each step, I’d say ‘OK God, I got this far’, because it’s like sand almost," said Gary Christman.
By then, his family had called 911.
"Tacoma PD were absolutely amazing," said Tom Riordan, Christman’s son-in-law.
The family says around 40 officers and search and rescue teams responded.
Patrol officer Emily Knutsen, pictured below with Klaudina's dog Fen, says police looked at zoo security footage that showed Christman leaving just after 4:00 pm.
Two German Shepherd search dogs volunteers were called in not long after, including Jonathan and his dog Smitty and Klaudina and Fen.
The dog teams split up and headed to opposite ends of the search area. Jonathan and Smitty are pictured below.
Several hours after Christman had disappeared, Klaudina knew the moment that Fen had found his man.
"Fen was working his nose and he wanted to go over the side of the cliff," said Klaudina. "It was so great to radio back that we found him."
The rest of the harrowing rescue was caught on body camera video by Tacoma Police.
"He was holding on to some roots, and thank God for Fenrir," said Megan Christman Riordan, Christman’s daughter.
Christman was also relieved to see Fen's fuzzy face.
"I was not only happy, I was thrilled," said Christman.
The bumps and bruises on his head and hands are now healing. At the reunion, there were big smiles and pets.
The family also gifted the dogs a box of treats and tennis balls, grateful that Fen's fantastic nose saved the day.
The family is urging people to donate to the volunteer German Shepherd search dogs team which Fen is a part of.
His daughter Megan says the family has also placed trackers in Christman's shoes so it doesn't happen again.
The Source: Information in this story came from the Tacoma Police Department and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle's Jennifer Dowling.
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