Helmet: check. Rope: check. Harness: check. A steak and a hotdog: check.
"I took a little something to bribe him just in case he didn't want to cooperate," said Rich Caola.
Caola need not have worried. Grady, 2, a coon-hound mix who became trapped in Poestenkill Gorge on Saturday afternoon, happily greeted the Troy firefighter and paramedic who climbed the gorge wall to grab him.
Caola's tough ascent, and descent with the dog in his arms on a steamy day, earned the firefighter a big hug and a handshake from the dog's owners, Karen Phelan and Tim Courtney of Albany.
The couple had brought Grady to the natural pool in the gorge near Linden Avenue Park so they could all cool off.
The three had swum to a shady spot on the far side of the pool, when a huge tree limb came crashing down the hillside above them at about 2:30 p.m.
"The dog got freaked out and took off," Courtney said.
The startled Grady swam across the pool and ran about 60 feet up the other side of the gorge. For the next hour, the couple repeatedly tried to get their dog down. But each time they tried to go up, or Grady tried to come down, the hillside's loose shale gave way, and each sought safety.
So about an hour later, Phelan walked up the path and borrowed a cellphone to call for help.
Eight firefighters soon responded, and by 4:45, Grady was safe.
"You don't know what kind of trouble you just caused," Phelan said to Grady. He panted.
Firefighters respond to rescue calls once or twice a year at the gorge, according to Assistant Chief Craig LeRoy. The area has also been the scene of falls, several fatal, over the years.
After a big drink and a bite of steak, Grady looked sheepishly around, whined and then took a few steps -- back up the hill.
"Grady, you're not going back up there," Phelan said, laughing.
Turns out that's not the only restriction the dog will face. Said Courtney, "He's never getting out of the back yard again."
