A dog has been rescued after falling from cliffs in Arbroath.
The town’s RNLI lifeboat crew – along with coastguard teams from Arbroath, Dundee and Stonehaven – were called to the area on Thursday afternoon.
Skye the cocker spaniel had been walking with its owner and was chasing a ball when she plunged from the clifftop just after 2pm.
The crew navigated a narrow gully within the cliffs to reach rocks that Skye had climbed onto from the water.
The width of the gully was narrower than the lifeboat so one of the crew went into the water on a swim line to recover the troubled pooch.
Dog ‘cold and wet’
An RNLI spokesman says the dog was “cold and wet” but otherwise unharmed – and was taken to be reunited with its owner who took it to the vets for a thorough check over.
He said: “The owner was taking their dog for a walk near the Blowhole when this happened.
“We were then phoned – which from our point of view is the best thing to do.
“It is best to call us rather than attempting the rescue yourself and possibly creating a worse scenario.”
Michael Marr, Arbroath RNLI volunteer helm, said “We were pleased to be able to rescue Skye and that the owners did the right thing by calling for assistance, and not trying to climb down the cliffs where they could potentially become a casualty themselves.
“Skye was very unlucky in that she found and chased a ball that wasn’t even hers!
“The RNLI always advise dog owners keep their dogs on the lead around cliffs to prevent these incidents occurring.”
