CLARK FORK - Bonner County sheriff's officials rescued two hunting dogs Tuesday that spent two frigid nights trapped on the steep and rugged flanks of Green Monarch Mountain on Lake Pend Oreille.

Daniel Whitaker and Boone Randall of Priest River were hunting bobcat with their dogs, Cowgirl and Faith, on Sunday when the dogs followed their quarry over the side of a steep cliff leading to the lake.

But the dogs were unable to get up the cliff and their owners were unable to down-climb the notoriously precipitous mountain terrain on the southeastern shore of the lake.

The hunters and their dogs settled in for a long, cold night on the mountain, sheriff's officials said. Daytime temperatures plunged into the teens on Sunday and strong winds which also whipped up pushed those temperatures even lower.

Monday dawned and Whitaker and Randall resumed their efforts to coax Cowgirl and Faith up the cliff without success. The hunters hiked two hours to their car with plans of rescuing the dogs by boat.

But Tuesday's amphibious approach was stymied when their boat's throttle cable broke in the bitter cold. Desperately concerned for the dogs' safety and with options running out, the hunters contacted the sheriff's office for help.

As luck would have it, the Bonner County Sheriff's Marine Division still had a boat on the water at Hope Marine in Ellisport Bay.

"It was the last day the boat was on the water," said Det. Phil Stella.

Marine Lt. Ed Jochum was planning to pull the vessel off the water for the season because the bay was starting to cover with ice.

Volunteers from the detective and marine divisions, in addition to the dogs' owners, launched the boat and made their way across the lake in below-freezing temperatures. Stella said the boat quickly iced over en route to the Green Monarchs.

After short searches around Windy Point and Kilroy Bay, rescuers heard barking. Stella said two little spots could be seen running down the hill responding to their owners' calls.

Cowgirl and Faith made their way to the shoreline and rescuers were able to pull the dogs safely onto the boat.