Stray Dog Survives Stormy Night On Tent Roof After Likely Being Thrown Off Nearby Bridge

A storm, a rooftop, and a second chance for a stray dog.

Two weeks ago, on a chilly March morning in Kansas City, something unusual caught the attention of a local distillery’s staff—a dog.

It all began on the morning of March 7, when employees at J. Rieger & Co. distillery in Kansas City arrived at work and found a scared young shepherd mix stranded on top of an outdoor tent. Confused, they checked their surveillance footage—and what they saw was heartbreaking.

The video showed the dog falling onto the tent late the night before, during a “nasty” storm. He spent hours pacing across the tent and roof, alone in the wind and rain. Staff later suspected he may have been thrown from a nearby bridge.

By morning, he was clearly shaken.

The staff were shocked. Determined to help, the team grabbed a ladder and some chicken, gently coaxing him down to safety with help from KC Pet Project. Paw prints left behind on the roof told the story of the long night the poor pup had endured.

“We love dogs here,” Susan Stone Li, the distillery’s hospitality manager said after the rescue. “We’re very supportive of the idea of dogs being a part of the larger family. And so, in a way, he landed literally and figuratively in the best possible spot.”

The dog was brought to KC Pet Project and named “Rieger” after the place where he was rescued. After his 5 day hold Lucy Rieger (the distillery’s owner) visited the dog with her two sons, championing the young dog for adoption…and it worked. Rieger has been adopted and KC Pet Project shared, “He’s now settling in at home and getting plenty of snuggles with his new family.”

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