Volunteers rescue terrier in quarry

Volunteers rescue terrier in quarry

Northwest Regional Rope Rescue Team rappelled into the quarry at Mineral Technologies to rescue Rippy.

Lyndsay Burr

NORTH CANAAN — Rippy the terrier mix was found deep in Minerals Technologies’ quarry on Lower Road Tuesday, May 7.

After getting spooked on a Saturday afternoon walk, Rippy dashed away from his handler and was lost. Animal Control Officer Lyndsay Burr was notified Monday by a pedestrian who heard barking coming from the quarry.

“I went out there as soon as I could,” said Burr, who confirmed barking coming from within the quarry but could not locate Rippy. “My heart was racing.”

She contacted First Selectman Brian Ohler, who promptly arrived with a drone fashioned with a thermal imaging camera. It is believed the dog was seeking shelter in a crevice, as he was not detected by the drone.

Rippy the terrier was happy to go home.Lyndsay Burr

The next day, MinTech crews heard barking and the search resumed. The dog was spotted on a rocky ledge about 30-feet below ground level.

Unable to reach Rippy, workers called Canaan Fire Company for help. The tower ladder proved to be too short so the searchers turned to the Northwest Regional Rope Rescue Team (a team of firefighters from across the Northwest Corner who participate in rope rescues).

The climbers rappelled into the quarry, secured Rippy in a crate and lifted him back to the surface. The dog was reported to be dehydrated, hungry and traumatized. He appeared to have an injured leg but was otherwise unharmed.

“He went home and got cleaned up,” said Burr. “He was happy to be back with his mom.”

Burr said in her six years as ACO she has never experienced a situation like Rippy’s. “It was a learning experience for sure."

Volunteer responders from North Canaan, Norfolk, Sharon, Salisbury, Riverton and Amenia, N.Y. all contributed to Rippy’s rescue.

The team of volunteers that saved Rippy.Ashley Burr

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less