Be your dog's best friend at the coast

We all love a winter walk, but please be coast clever and keep your dog on a lead.

Earlier today (03 Dec) HM Coastguard was called to two separate incidents where dogs had fallen from cliffs.

The first call came in just after 10:00am from the owners of a collie who had fallen 150m down a cliff at Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Scotland.

Coastguard rescue teams from Portpatrick, Stranraer and Ballantrae were sent along with Police Scotland.

A coastguard cliff rescue technician was lowered down the cliff, they placed the dog in a specialist animal rescue bag, before bringing him safely to the top of the cliff where he was reunited with his owners.

The second dog got into difficulty just before 13:00, the owners called to say that their labrador had fallen from the cliffs near Arbroath, Scotland and was on the shoreline below.

Arbroath, St Andrews, Stonehaven and Montrose coastguard rescue teams were sent along with the Arbroath RNLI lifeboats.

One of the lifeboat crew was able to reach the dog on the shore, a coastguard cliff rescue technician was lowered and brought the dog back to the top of the cliff, where he was passed back to his relieved owners.

Stock Image:Pexels

George Close, Commander for HM Coastguard said,  'Thankfully both dogs walked away with minor cuts and bruises. The owners did the right thing by calling us for help, if they had attempted to self-rescue their dogs, there could have been a very different outcome today.

Dogs are adventurous by nature and it doesn’t take much for them to follow their nose without thinking, one moment they might be chasing a bird, and before you know it, they have fallen down a cliff.

For everyone’s safety please keep them on a lead. Remember if your dog does get into trouble, please don’t attempt to rescue them yourselves, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’

 

Safety Tips:

Make sure you stay safe when out and about with your four-legged friends by keeping these simple tips in mind before you head out for a walk:

  • Check the weather and tide
  • Wear appropriate clothing
  • Tell someone where you are going and when you plan to be back, consider using an app like SafeTrx
  •  Stay away from cliff edges – they can be crumbly or slippery when wet
  • However strong the impulse may be, do not attempt to self-rescue your dog, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

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