Sad. I can see how this could happen. It would be super hard to walk away and it would be super easy to over-estimate your own ability to climb down and rescue the pet you love.
Sad indeed. I wonder if - given time - the dog could have climbed back up to safety all by itself?
“Just west of Palisades Park” really pins it down. There is a 60 ft. wide strip there along the top of the cliff, which includes a network of paths, as per Google Maps 3-D. “Familiarity breeds contempt.”