Dog Rescued After Cliff Fall near Scarborough

Saturday, 25 September 2021 14:24

By Matthew Pells

A dog which fell down a cliff last night was rescued by the coastguard and Scarborough RNLI in a joint operation.

The border collie tumbled about halfway down the 350ft cliff near the Blue Dolphin holiday park and Cunstone Nab, a few miles south of Scarborough.

The inshore lifeboat, which launched at about 8.30pm, used night-vision equipment to detect the dog from the sea.

When its location was confirmed, the crew of three guided a cliff technician from the coastguard team as he abseiled down.

However, the dog was understandably frightened and aggressive so the coastguard was unable to coax it into the special hoist which is used in such situations.

The coastguard’s search team walked with the dog’s owner a long way along the clifftop to a point where they could descend to the sea, then back via the slippery rocks on the shoreline until they were below the dog. They had to dodge crashing waves shortly after one of the highest tides of the year. A strong swell and perilous rocks prevented the lifeboat from landing ashore.

It then took a long time for the owner to persuade the dog to descend the cliff. It was walked back along the shore to be checked over. The dog was in one piece, no bones broken.

It was one of Scarborough RNLI’s longest shouts of the year; the lifeboat wasn’t recovered and rehoused until midnight. The lifeboat helm was keen to praise the coastguard teams for a job very well done; great skill and perseverance was required to help the dog and owner.

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