NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A year after firefighters rappelled down a 40-foot bluff to save a stranded dog in Emerald Park, that same pit bull — now named Cliff — returned this week to the North Little Rock Fire Department for a reunion that brought his rescue story full circle.

In October 2024, a hiker in Emerald Park heard faint cries coming from below the cliffside and called for help. Firefighters with the North Little Rock Fire Department’s rope-rescue team arrived and spent hours on a narrow three-foot-wide ledge, coaxing the nervous, malnourished dog to safety.

Battalion Chief Wesley Stephens recalled how patience and teamwork made the difference that day.

“We practice for a lot of things and although that’s not one that we really practice a lot for, we just problem-solved our way

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