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As It Happens

Great Dane somehow gets its 120-lb self stuck in a tree

Owner Wes McGuirck had to call the fire department to come rescue his dog. He's not sure how she got up there.
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Wes McGuirck tries to calm his dog Kora, while she is stuck in a tree. (Facebook/Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department)
As It Happens5:31Great Dane somehow gets its 120-lb self stuck in a tree

How does a Great Dane get stuck in a tree? And — the more pressing question for its owner once he discovered her there — how do you get one down?

My first words were, 'How on Earth did you get up there?'- Wes McGuirck, Great Dane owner

"I realized my dog wasn't in the house at all, so we got our flashlights and scoured the place,"  Wes McGuirck tells As It Happens guest host Laura Lynch.

So McGuirck and his roommate searched his Louisville, Nebraska property for Kora, his Great Dane.

One of the cell phone photos first responders took of Kora stuck in a tree. (Facebook/Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Department)

"I heard a whimper and shone the flashlight in the tree and there she was, 20 feet off the ground.

"My first words were, 'How on Earth did you get up there?'"

After taking a photo, McGuirck called the sheriff's department. Staff there dispatched two deputies to the scene.

"The first thing they did was pull out their cell phones and take pictures," laughs McGuirck.

Scooby Doo is perhaps the most famous Great Dane in the world. ( Hanna-Barbera)

McGuirck climbed into the tree and stayed with his dog, who was becoming agitated at all the commotion. A local K-9 unit supplied a harness for Kora so she could be lowered out of the tree with a long lead.

Several people positioned themselves underneath the tree, holding a tarp.

The moment when Kora's leash snapped and she fell from the tree in to the safety of the tarp. (Facebook/Plattsmouth Volunteer Fire Departmen)

As the 120-lb dog was being lowered down, the leash snapped, but Kora was caught — and unhurt.

"She sauntered into the back yard and wanted to play because everyone was here," says McGuirck.

McGuirck speculates Kora was chasing a raccoon and became overzealous. He says he's pretty sure her tree-climbing days are over. "I think she's learned her lesson."

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