Dog rescued after 80ft fall, says coastguard

Coastguards took on "extreme conditions" to rescue a "frightened" dog from a cliff fall.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, alongside coastguard rescue teams from Swanage and St Albans were called to Peveril Point in Dorset in the early hours of Thursday morning to assist in the rescue of golden retriever, Chester, who was stuck partway down the cliff.

The team worked "tirelessly" together for five and a half hours to rescue Chester who had been "spooked, ran off and fallen 80-feet".

The team lowered him down to the shore said he was "frightened and scared but unharmed" and they were "pleased to reunite him with his owners who were equally distressed".

A Swanage RNLI lifeboat returning from another callout spotted Chester on the ledge and remained on scene throughout to provide "vital illumination".

A Coastguard Rescue officer was lowered down to secure Chester, who was trapped on "a narrow ledge with a significant drop below".

A spokesperson said the first challenge was gaining Chester's trust which they said was made "even harder as the weather deteriorated with heavy rain and a large electrical storm moving in".

Crews attempted to recover Chester using a specially designed dog rescue bag.

Chester managed to escape both the bag and his collar twice but a specialist rope rescue team and technician managed to "carefully handle" Chester to safety down the cliff and exited via a zig-zag path.

The Swanage Coastguard spokesperson said: "This was an outstanding example of multi-agency teamwork coming together to safely reunite a much-loved family dog with his owners.

"We'd like to remind dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead, especially when near the cliffs and to never attempt a rescue yourself."