AUBURN — A dog was plucked from the banks of the Little Androscoggin River early Wednesday night, but how the animal got there and where it belongs remained a mystery.

Animal Control Officer Wendell Strout was called to the area of Barker Mill Arms after the dog, a terrier mix, was spotted at the bottom of a roughly 60-foot incline.

A worker from the nearby hydro plant climbed down and attempted to coax the terrier away from the river, Strout said, but initially, the dog wanted no part of it.

“We’d make a move toward the dog and he’d come right at you,” Strout said. “It’s actually a sweet dog. It was just afraid.”

Finally, Strout was able to secure the dog and the two men carried it to safety.

The name of the worker was not immediately available.

“It’s too bad,” Strout said. “He did most of the work.”

Strout took the 40-pound terrier to a Lewiston shelter. It was wearing a collar, he said, and a leash that appeared to have broken. A search of records at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society revealed no recent reports of lost dogs fitting the description, Strout said.

He did not know how long the dog had been down near the river. Anyone with information on the terrier or its owner is asked to call the Auburn Police Department or the Humane Society in Lewiston.