Jessica Johnston was lucky to have survived after plummeting from the top of a 180-foot waterfall while hiking in the mountains of New Zealand’s South Island, but when she lost her footing she also lost her dog. Johnston was enjoying one of the world’s richest landscapes with her border collie Molly, when she slipped. Rescuers arrived to help her, but Molly was nowhere to be found. News of Molly’s plight spread quickly across New Zealand, and Precision Helicopters set up a crowdfunding campaign to support a search that would cost $50 a minute. Within eight hours, $11,500 had poured in, enough for the helicopter company to fund three trips. The company had previously rescued a cow on a cliff’s edge and a horse stuck in a swamp, so they knew they could rescue Molly. They flew up and over a mountain headed toward the waterfall where Johnston had last seen her dog. In just over an hour, a thermal imaging camera spotted something wedged in between a pile of rocks. As the helicopter approached, the object became more apparent. It was a bedraggled black and white dog, soaking wet and shivering. They had found Molly. A crewman named Wayne climbed down from the chopper as it hovered near the rocks. He had brought his search-and-rescue dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Bingo, to help keep Molly calm. He offered the shivering dog a piece of sausage and then corralled her in one arm as he held Bingo in the other. Before long, they were all safely back inside the helicopter. The dog had survived a week in the wild, possibly eating some small animals to stay alive. All that was left was to reunite her with Johnston. When they met again, Molly ran up to Jessica, who had a huge cast on her right arm, jumping up to lick her face. The past week had pushed them both to the brink, but with help from strangers and friends, they were back together again.
