Cliff fall dog found safe after 50-hour search
A dog who fell down a 300ft (91m) cliff was reunited with its owner after two volunteers descended on ropes to rescue him.
Truffle, a Lhasa Apso poodle cross breed, went missing while out on a walk near the cliffs in Filey, North Yorkshire, on 11 April.
After initial searches ended without success, two local men offered to help after a social media appeal and found the dog 50 hours after Truffle disappeared.
“Miracles happen and dogs are quite resilient,” owner Chelsea Foulds said.
Joe Brain and Thomas Lister used permanent ropes attached to the cliff, used by local anglers, to hunt for Truffle.
“We were probably down there for 15 minutes before we saw some paw prints in the clay at the bottom," Mr Brain, 34, said.
“Obviously nobody is climbing down the ropes to walk their dogs, so we followed the prints and he was just laid there in a little ball – he was lucky to be alive.”
Truffle, who survived the fall unscathed, proceeded to avoid the grasp of the helpers and ran three miles (4.8km) down the coastline away from the pair during a three-hour chase.
The men finally caught the dog when it entered the water.
“We couldn’t get the dog back up the cliff as he was exhausted and shaking so they sent the RNLI out,” Mr Brain said.
Ms Foulds, 27, said: “We didn’t think we’d get him back – he was hungry, he had a little rash under his belly and a bad eye but that was it.
“Miracles happen and dogs are quite resilient - without Tom and Joe we’d never have found him.”
The RNLI said it picked up the two men and the dog in its lifeboat due to rising tides.
“It was great to be able to reunite dog and owner after the men found the dog,” a spokesperson said.
“Never place yourself in danger if you see an animal in difficulty – please dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”
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