Rescuer scales Sydney high-rise to reach missing dog trapped on ledge for days

Monday, 27 April 2026 19:02

Elbie the Jack Russell went missing on Saturday after squeezing past pot plants and through a narrow gap on the balcony.

A missing dog has been rescued from a 13th-storey ledge days after escaping from a balcony at an apartment block on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Elbie the two-year-old Jack Russell went missing on Saturday after squeezing past pot plants and through a narrow gap on the balcony at the Meriton apartments in Dee Why.

"We looked around the entire apartment and looked everywhere, every small, little spot, and there was nothing," friend James Tomac said.

Elbie the Jack Russell was rescued from the 13th storey ledge of the Meritan apartments in Dee Why on Sydney's northern beaches.

"We started thinking the worst possible thing, maybe she fell off the balcony."

After her owners raised the alarm on social media, a neighbour flying his drone spotted Elbie stuck between a railing on the ledge on the other side of the high-rise just after lunchtime.

Fire and Rescue firefighter Joel Spillane was tasked with the challenge of bringing Elbie to safety in front of dozens of anxious onlookers on the ground.

Spillane scaled the high-rise building using vertical rescue equipment and placed a lead on Elbie and a tarpaulin below the ledge to catch the dog if she fell.

"He was a little bit stuck, it took me a while to get him out, he was stuck in between the awning up there, but he was calm which helped a lot," he said.

After 20 minutes trying to manoeuvre Elbie from the edge, she was lifted to safety through an apartment window, with crowds erupting into cheers below.

"We got him inside, he's drunk heaps of water, they gave him a shower, and I'm sure he'll be off to the vet, back tomorrow," Spillane said.

"We're not sure how long he was there, they mentioned a day or so but we're not sure."

Elbie was quickly reunited with her owner after spending two days without food or water.