Jessica Johnston was enjoying a hike in a remote part of New Zealand with her dog, Molly, when everything suddenly took a terrifying turn. She slipped and plunged nearly 180 feet down a waterfall — an accident that could have easily been fatal.
Rescuers arrived quickly and saved Johnston, but Molly had disappeared. In such an isolated area, the hope of finding the dog seemed almost impossible.
That’s when Lillian Newton, from Precision Helicopters, heard about the situation — and chose to step in, even though no one had asked her to.
“I just couldn’t ignore it,” Newton shared. “I felt like I had to try.”
With Johnston’s approval, Newton launched a fundraiser to support a search mission by helicopter. The response was overwhelming — within just eight hours, they had raised five times the amount needed. People everywhere were rooting for Molly to be found.
Newton then assembled a volunteer team, including a specialist equipped with a thermal imaging camera, and flew out to the area where Molly was last seen.
Their decision paid off.
There, beneath the very waterfall where Johnston had fallen, they spotted Molly — calmly sitting on rocks, as if she had been waiting all along. Despite being missing for an entire week, she appeared completely unharmed.
“The dog was in incredible condition,” Newton said.
Using treats to gain her trust, the team safely brought Molly aboard the helicopter and carried her back to safety.
When Johnston heard the news, she was overwhelmed with relief. Though she had suffered injuries from the fall, knowing Molly was safe gave her the strength to recover.
The people involved in the rescue had never met Johnston or her dog before — they were simply strangers who chose to care.
And thanks to their kindness, Molly and her owner are finally back together.
“It’s been one of the toughest weeks of my life,” Johnston later wrote on Facebook. “But now that we’re both home, this is a story I’ll never forget.”
