The Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue (SBCSAR) Team and county’s Air Support Unit guided a Vermont resident and his beagle, Bunny, to safety from steep ground in the Los Padres National Forest on Thursday morning.
According to a Sheriff’s Office press release, the man was staying at the Rancho Oso RV Park Resort and Campground off of Paradise Road when Bunny disappeared. The man was able to find his beagle, but the two became stuck in rough terrain in the process. He and Bunny made their way to a flat area near a power-line pole, where the man began to yell for help.
Around 2:15 p.m., campers heard his cries and dialed 9-1-1. Sheriff’s deputies, as well as a Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit helicopter, quickly responded. The Air Support crew, unable to land safely after locating the pair in steep topography, called for help from the SBCSAR Team.