From WUSA9.com’s Gary Nurenberg:

Montgomery and Prince George’s County fire departments joined Park Police in an unusual rescue operation in the woods just off New Hampshire Avenue Thursday evening.

It started when Hedin Drive resident Sarah Lesher was walking her dogs Muppet and Ginger along a ridge in those woods at about 5 p.m. Muppet, the 15-year-old Belgian Shepherd whose hips have been described as a disaster area by her vet, took a bad step and tumbled 200 feet down a steep hill into a ravine.

Lesher had a friend call for help and then returned to the top of the hill.

“I slid down on my butt, never falling, and found her standing in a pool of water. I got her out of the water and got her onto a ledge and stood there and wedged her onto the ledge with my knee, and that’s where we stood while we waited,” she said.

Lesher was soon joined by a Park Police officer who helped her keep Muppet calm while about two dozen rescue workers fashioned a hauling system to pull the three back to safety.

“I was lashed into the basket and the dog was then loaded on top of me and the officer held the dog and the basket and we all got pulled up,” Lesher said.

“It took us about an hour and a half to get them safely out of the ravine,” said Captain Oscar Garcia of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department.

“We took a lot of safety precautions in performing this task and, fortunately, again, nobody was injured,” Garcia said.

Muppet was carried through the woods and into her home by her rescuers.

A few minutes later, Muppet, Ginger, and Sarah were on Hedin Drive again, finishing their walk.