Lucky escape: Bobby is found by rescuers and amazingly he has only suffered minor injuriesIt is supposed to be cats with their mythical nine lives who enjoy lucky escapes.
But Bobby the dog showed that some canines enjoy more than their fair share of good fortune. Bobby had a miracle escape after he chased a seagull off a cliff and was saved when he landed on soft seaweed 100ft below.
The cocker spaniel-poodle cross - a cockapoo - suffered just a broken toe and a chipped tooth in the death-defying fall.
The one-year-old was being taken for a walk by owners Denise and Kevin Rowell when he spotted the sea bird perched on the grassy edge of the cliff.
While the couple sat on a bench to enjoy the scenery, Bobby went after the gull and fell off the sheer cliff.
Denise and Kevin couldn't fathom where the black dog had gone until a member of the public gave them the bad news.
Tall order: Members of the RNLI make their way to the foot of the cliff to rescue bobby the dogKevin, a 48-year-old train driver, dialled 999 for help before kneeling over the precipe to find Bobby sat on the shingle beach below yelping out.
With no way of reaching the dog the coastguard team who arrived at Old Harry Rocks, near Swanage, Dorset, summoned a lifeboat to fetch him.
The Swanage RNLI crew found Bobby sheltering against the cliff face.
They lifted him to safety and motored to a nearby beach where he was reunited with his relieved owners.
The rescue was recorded on a helmet-mounted camera worn by one of the lifeboatmen.
Helping hand: Bobby is coaxed to safety by a member of the RNLI as he nurses his injuries following the fall
Helping hand: A rescuer tends to Bobby's injuries as he lies at the base of the cliffBobby was taken to a vets and had a bandage strapped on his front left paw for the broken toe.
He is now recovering well at his home in Poole.
Kevin said: 'We went for a long walk along the coast path and when we reached Old Harry Rocks Denise and I sat on a bench for a rest.
'Bobby was by us the whole time. But we took our eyes off him for 30 seconds and in that time he had bolted.
Paws for thought: One-year-old cocker spaniel-poodle cross Bobby is carried to the lifeboat'I couldn't see him anywhere and then a couple came up and said 'your dog has gone over there' and they pointed to the edge of the cliff.
'They said he chased after a seagull and went straight over the edge.
'Straight away I dialled 999 and then I walked towards the cliff, fearing the worse.
'Looking at the cliff face, there was nothing to break his fall at all.
'But I looked over the edge and saw him sat on the beach crying in pain.
'The tide was out at the time and there was a lot of seaweed on the beach. He must have landed on that and it cushioned his fall. It is incredible that he survived.
Recovering: Bobby gets a well earned rest as he is sailed to safety following his miracle escape
Bobby the dog had a miracle escape after chasing a seagull off a cliff at Old Harry, nr Swanage, Dorset and was saved when he landed on soft seaweed 100ft below'We took him to the beach where we waited for the owners to come down for him. They were very happy afterwards. He is one lucky dog.'A spokesman for Portland coastguard said: 'This dog is very lucky to be alive.
'At first he was hard to spot from the top of the cliff because he was black and blended in with the seaweed on the beach.'
The spokesman reminded dog owners to keep their pets on a lead whenever they are near cliffs.
Amazing: Bobby the dog survived despite falling more than 100ft from this cliff at Old Harry, nr Swanage, Dorsetsource: dailymail
Posts
