{"id":9819,"date":"2026-03-31T22:42:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=9819"},"modified":"2026-03-31T22:42:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:42:28","slug":"lost-dog-molly-rescued-two-weeks-after-a-180-foot-waterfall-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=9819","title":{"rendered":"Lost Dog Molly Rescued Two Weeks After a 180-Foot Waterfall Fall"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>After surviving a 180-foot fall down a waterfall, a four-year-old border collie named Molly spent nearly two weeks alone in the New Zealand wilderness. Her incredible rescue involved a hunt for survival and a special &#8220;support dog&#8221; to bring her home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Molly, a four-year-old border collie, was rescued after spending two weeks in the New Zealand wilderness<!-- --> (Photo: Precision Helicopters, Ltd.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published March 31, 2026 03:49PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>After two weeks lost in the New Zealand bush, rescuers successfully saved a four-year-old dog named Molly on March 31. Her owner, a woman in her twenties, had fallen down a 180-foot waterfall on March 17 while trekking through challenging terrain near the small town of Hokitika.<\/p>\n<p>Lillian Newton, safety manager and pilot for the responding flight company Precision Helicopters, told <em>Outside<\/em> that Molly\u2019s owner was backpacking in an extremely remote area of the country\u2019s Southern Alps when she slipped<b> <\/b>and fell down the waterfall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLuckily, the hiker landed in some water at the bottom; otherwise, she could possibly have died,\u201d Newton said. The woman, whom Newtown referred to only as Jessica to protect her privacy, activated her personal locator beacon. A government-funded rescue helicopter responded and picked up the bruised hiker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, when the rescue happened, Molly was nowhere to be seen. But I just started getting this gut feeling that Molly must still be alive,\u201d Newton said. So she set up a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/givealittle.co.nz\/cause\/rescue-mission-for-molly-the-dog\">fundraiser page<\/a> describing Molly as Jessica\u2019s partner on many backcountry trips. The area where Molly went missing was so remote that rescuers had to use a helicopter to search through it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2736852\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Liker her owner, Molly is believed to have survived a 180-foot-fall down a waterfall\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2736852\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-4.jpg?width=1920&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x, https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-4.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-4.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\">Like her owner, Molly is believed to have survived a 180-foot fall down a waterfall (Photo: Precision Helicopters, Ltd.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/precisionhelicoptersltd\">Precision Helicopters<\/a> does not operate as a rescue company and did not participate in Jessica\u2019s response. But after hearing of the woman\u2019s remarkable rescue\u2014and her missing companion\u2014Newton quickly stepped into action. She launched a campaign to raise 2,500 NZD ($1,436), enough to fund a flight in search of the missing pup. A helicopter costs roughly 50 NZD ($29) a minute to run. Within six hours, contributions poured in totaling over 11,500 NZD ($6,605). Newton promptly stopped the fundraiser and set the rotor blades in motion.<\/p>\n<p>Newton runs Precision Helicopters with her mom and dad. Her father, Matt Newton, teamed up with a local thermal camera operator to set out in search of Molly.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" style=\"border:none;overflow-y:hidden;background-color:white;min-width:320px;max-width:420px;width:100%;height:420px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/Fv9AqZ4IExG7u2yH910cFe3y\/?embed=True\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooking for Molly was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. This terrain is extremely isolated, extremely rough. We have thick bush, and we have the most rainfall in New Zealand,\u201d Newton said. \u201cIt\u2019s wet, it\u2019s cold, and it\u2019s rugged and gnarly. We said dog prayers the night before flying with our own dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Molly wasn\u2019t in the area the first few times the helicopter came through. But after two weeks of searching, Newton\u2019s father and former rescue helicopter Matt spotted Molly on the thermal camera underneath the waterfall. She was huddled in the exact place where her owner had fallen. One of the rescuers even brought Bingo, their Jack Russell terrier, to provide emotional support for Molly in case she felt frightened. A video recorded during the rescue showed the black-and-white border collie huddled beneath a rockpile alongside rushing water.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, Molly climbed right into the helicopter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was in really good condition, and she must have been eating\u2014we have Australian possums here, and we reckon she must have killed and eaten a few of those,\u201d Newton said.<\/p>\n<p>Although Jessica\u2019s fall injured her too badly to help with the rescue mission, Newton said the dog\u2019s owner felt overwhelmed with joy when she reunited with her best friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you to everybody who donated and volunteered to help. The success of saving Molly would not have been possible without this joint effort. What a happy ending to reunite her with Jess after her accident,\u201d Precision Helicopters Ltd on their Facebook <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C62xLGhDR\/\">page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And for those facing tough, seemingly insurmountable challenges, Newton says to keep your hopes up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrust your gut feeling,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2736853\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"photo shows molly being carried by a rescuer, another shows the waterfall she's believed to have plummeted from\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2736853\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-5.jpg?width=1920&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x, https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-5.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design-5.jpg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Hokitika is a remote, mountainous region in New Zealand\u2019s Southern Alps<\/span> (Photo: Precision Helicopters, Ltd.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/hiking-and-backpacking\/molly-dog-rescued-waterfall-fall-new-zealand\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After surviving a 180-foot fall down a waterfall, a four-year-old border collie named Molly spent nearly two weeks alone in the New Zealand wilderness. Her incredible rescue involved a hunt for survival and a special &#8220;support dog&#8221; to bring her home. Molly, a four-year-old border collie, was rescued after spending two weeks in the New<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9819","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wild-living"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}