On January 22, 2011 MOGS President Nancy Campbell spent four VERY cold and wet hours on a cliff in Kansas City, rescuing two dogs. It wasn't her first time to rescue a dog (more like her hundredth) so she knew it took patience and time to build trust with the dogs. The main problem was that there had just been a snowstorm that dumped 10" of snow and ice -- and the dogs were living in an old broken-down shed at the bottom of a cliff.

The two dogs had been roaming stray in the area for 6-12 months and had become bonded. But until the very cold and snowy weather hit, neighbors just tried to feed them hoping they'd survive. By the time we arrived, white GSD "Cliff" was unable to walk or fend for himself. The smaller shepherd mix, Mari, was still a decent weight, but Cliff was starved to the point where he couldn't walk. A kind neighbor was leaving food for them and called MOGS. Both dogs put up as much fight as they could, which was considerable. Ultimately both had to be manually lifted and carried up the cliff. A scary moment happened when the rope holding Cliff nearly broke and he dropped about 10 feet! Thanks to a strong neighbor, we quickly got Cliff back up and safely into the van. Cliff was heartworm positive, had extreme fur loss and was infested with fleas. He was in such terrible shape that at first we thought he was 10-12 yrs old -- but in truth he was only 2-3 yrs old! He started gaining weight while in boarding and was put on heartworm medications. After months in boarding, Cliff's journey is over - he now has a wonderful HOME with a doggie sister in southern Illinois!

Mari, his companion, stayed in boarding long after Cliff was adopted. She was still semi-feral and had little interest from adopters. But she too, finally found a home with a loving local family and a doggie sibling! Both Cliff and Mari came a long way, their journey ending in loving, warm, safe, happy homes!