Cocker spaniel rescued from cliffs by Aith lifeboat crew
Jim Tait
The Aith lifeboat Charles Lidbury was called out at approximately 8.22pm on Saturday to go to the aid of a cocker spaniel stuck down some cliffs.
The dog, which was called Blue, was stuck down cliffs just south of the Muckle Roe lighthouse in the North Mainland.
Once the volunteer crew arrived at the scene, the Y class lifeboat was launched, and with some help from the dog owners the crew managed to locate the spaniel at the bottom of the cliffs.
The Y class lifeboat approached the dog and crew member Graham Johnston was able to reach over and recover Blue into the lifeboat.
They then headed to a nearby beach at Muckle Roe, where the dog’s owners and the Hillswick coastguard team were waiting to get Blue on to dry land.
Volunteer crew member Nick McCaffrey said: “The dog was lovely and just wanted to rest.”
Blue apparently seemed none the worse for his mishap, and after reuniting him with his owners the crew then returned to the Aith lifeboat station.
john ridland
Wonder how many more coffee mornings to pay for that little jolly…?
Johan Adamson
How do you know they are not charged for this like when you need an ambulance in a car accident and your insurance pays?
Ian Tinkler
If the dog was left trapped without rescue there would soon be a person trapped or injured trying to save the dog. Experience has shown leaving a trapped dog often results in a far more serious accident, usually the owner. Just a pet thing, caring people are like that.
john ridland
See our brave boys been out again saving a mother and child from the tide and cold on a beach having been cut off ,, Good job they weren’t away doing something far far more important like picking up lost dogs !
Mr ian Tinkler
What a bright boy you are John Ridland. I think our brave boys can make decisions about where their priorities may lie, without needing stupid criticisms from one so astute as yourself. Is that a bit deep for you to understand or is it that you would just enjoy seeing the dog slowly starve to death?
paul barlow
its good training. and a humane thing to do. it the coastguard felt it was to dangerous they would not do it.