Prince was cold, wet and hungry, but very vocal, as rescuers approached the area where he was stuck on Thursday.

After spending a cold night on a steep cliff on Mt Nessing, near Albury in South Canterbury, Prince the black labrador-eye dog cross made plenty of noise when he heard his rescuers approaching on Thursday morning.

Timaru Senior Station Officer Garry Parker said Prince was stuck about five metres down the side of a 25-30 metre drop to the bottom of the cliff where the Pareora Rivers runs.

"(Prince was) very hungry, very tired and his owners were very pleased to have him back," Parker said.

SUPPLIED The rescue crew pose for a photo with Prince. Pictured back row, from left, Brett Whitehead, Garry Parker, Phil Mackay, Marty Wiles, Richard Sullivan, Dean Watson and Corrie Tegelaars. Pictured at front is Grant Gibson with Prince.

While Prince was not injured snow looked to be setting in when the rescue crew, which included three members of the Fairlie Volunteer Brigade and four members of the Timaru Fire Service, arrived, Parker said.

Senior firefighter Richard Sullivan, of Timaru, said Prince got stuck on the steep cliff after chasing a pig while out hunting with his owner on Wednesday night.

"Once he got down he couldn't get back up," Sullivan said.

SUPPLIED Firefighters Marty Wiles, Brett Whitehead and Phil Mackay pictured on Mt Nessing during the rescue.

The cliff was "super steep", he said.

Although he was unable to move, Prince was able to make plenty of noise and his rescuers said they could hear him barking loudly before they were able to see him.

But reaching him proved quite a challenge, with the group of seven firefighters hauling more than 150 kilograms of gear across 22 kilometres of rough terrain in cold wet conditions.

The firefighters drove as far as they could up Mt Nessing Road, then had a 20-minute ride on quad bikes, followed by a 30-minute walk up the mountain to the top of the cliff where Prince was stranded.

"It was a long way in," Sullivan said.

"It took us forever," Timaru senior firefighter Marty Wiles said.

Unsure exactly what they would need to complete the rescue, the crews had packed plenty of gear including 250 metres of rope, harnesses, anchors and carabiners.

About 80 metres of rope was used, with one member of the Fairlie brigade abseiling down to reach the distressed dog.

Once the reached him, Prince was strapped in with a couple of slings around him and winched up the cliffside to freedom.

As he was given a bit of a lift, Prince "sort of started to scramble up", Sullivan said.

Fire Service Mid-South Canterbury assistant area manager Steven Greenyer said the Timaru Fire Service was informed of the dog's plight at 3.30pm on Wednesday.

Given the time of day, crews decided to wait until the morning when they had full light to rescue Prince, Greenyer said.