Pisgah Climbing School Receives PETA Award for Rescuing Dog Stranded for Days on 200-Foot Cliff

For Immediate Release:
October 27, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Business Award is on its way from PETA to North Carolina-based Pisgah Climbing School after founder Karsten Delap and three teammates scaled a sheer, crumbling cliff near the Appalachian Trail to rescue a terrified dog who had become stranded roughly 200 feet up for three days.

The dog’s guardian and multiple others had tried to reach him but had been forced back by the dangerous rock face before Delap’s team hiked half a mile into the remote Ramsey Cliff area on October 19. As darkness fell, the four worked by headlamp, climbing past loose rocks and unstable boulders to reach the dog in what Delap called “the most technical dog rescue” he has undertaken in more than 20 years. Once within reach, Delap gained the frightened animal’s trust with treats, secured him in a harness, and helped lower him down the cliff. The dog was swiftly reunited with his much-relieved guardian and is recovering after days without food or water.

“This dog was trapped in a terrifying predicament and would have died if not for these climbers’ skill, determination, and compassion,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA encourages everyone to follow their kind example and do everything they can to help an animal in danger.”

Pisgah Climbing School will receive a framed certificate and delicious vegan chocolates in recognition of the rescue.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.