Border Collie cross survives fall at Berry Head Quarry
The RNLI Torbay inshore lifeboat volunteer crew were tasked by HM Coastguard today (18 December) to attend the shoreline at Berry Head Quarry near Brixham.
A report was received that a Collie cross dog had unfortunately gone over the cliff at the Quarry, and fallen some distance onto the rocky shoreline near the Quarry House. Sea conditions were calm, with clear but quite cold weather.
The team were paged at around 2.30pm and arrived on scene shortly afterwards, where they assisted the local Coastguard team on the cliffside in reaching the female dog on the shore. She was retrieved safely by the volunteer crew and passed to the Coastguards using the special ‘dog bag’ and returned to her very relieved owners at the top of the cliff.
Thankfully, the black and white Collie/Whippet cross appeared to be shaken but unharmed, and was taken to a local vet by her owners to be checked over. The inshore lifeboat crew returned to station and the lifeboat was ready for service again at around 3.10pm.
This was a Christmas-time story with a happy ending, but please be careful when walking your dogs near the coast and cliffs over the festive period, as it is less unusual than you may think for an excited or distracted dog to go over the cliff. RNLI advice is to always keep dogs on a lead near the edge, and if the worst happens owners should not attempt a rescue by scaling cliffs or going into the water, but should call the Coastguard for assistance.
Further advice from the RNLI for dog-walkers can be found here:
https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity/coastal-walking/dog-walking
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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