New Quay RNLI in dramatic dog rescue
New Quay RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 8.23pm last night (Tuesday 9 October) to rescue a dog that had fallen over a cliff near Llangrannog.
Following reports that a dog had gone over a cliff, and with concerns being raised for its owners, the relief inshore lifeboat
John Wickens and the all-weather lifeboat Frank and Lena Clifford of Stourbridge were launched. The inshore lifeboat (ILB) was guided to the dog’s location by the New Quay Coastguard Rescue Team, who were already at the scene, with the all-weather lifeboat providing illumination.
However, reaching the dog proved to be challenging. The Coastguard team had sent one of their cliff technicians to assess the situation and decided that evacuation by sea was the only option.
Huw Williams, on his first shout as ILB Helm, said, “The dog was on a small ledge at the base of the cliff. We veered down on the anchor but the large swell made it impossible to approach safely. The only option was to come in from the other side and put one of the crew in the water.”
Crew member Simon Rigby swam over to the rocks and tied a rope around the collar of the grey sheepdog, named Slate, so that he could be hauled to the ILB. Simon commented, “Slate was very pleased to see us and was surprisingly calm after all he’d been through. He was no bother at all.”
Slate was then transferred to the all-weather lifeboat where he was dried off and kept warm. Simon added, “He had a couple of biscuits and even had a nice sleep on the way back”. Slate was reunited with his thankful owners, safe and well, at New Quay lifeboat station.
Key facts about the RNLI
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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