Firefighters abseiled down the cliff face of Perth’s Kinnoull Hill to rescue a pet dog that had been trapped on a ledge for over 24 hours.
The highly-trained advanced water rescue team from Perth were lowered 20 metres over the precipice where they were able to secure the dog with a harness and pull him to safety.
Murphy, a four-year-old black labrador, had become separated from his owner, Jenny Jameson, during a blizzard at around 8am on Wednesday during one of their regular walks.
Despite an extensive search, she and husband Alexander (52) were unable to locate their pet.
Mr Jameson said: “We thought he might make his way back to our home in Hatton Road he has done before but he failed to turn up. He must have got disorientated and gone over the edge.”
Residents across the dual carriageway at Walnut Grove had reported hearing incessant barking from the steep slopes of the beauty spot and had alerted the police.
With this information Mr and Mrs Jameson went up Kinnoull at 6.15am on Thursday to try to find him.
“We heard him whimpering and actually saw him,” said Mr Jameson. “We immediately realised it was not a job for us, it was a job for the experts.”
Tayside Fire and Rescue were contacted at around 7.30am and the advanced water rescue team from Perth attended along with retained crews from Coupar Angus and Dunkeld, around 20 officers in total.
The officers then made their way to a spot down from the summit and attached lines to a tree before abseiling down the cliff.
“The dog was about 20 metres down a steep slope with a 50-metre drop below that,” said group manager Bill Butterworth.
After a tense wait while fire officers had to drop down below the dog in an effort not to scare it before attaching a harness, Murphy was hauled to safety and reunited with his delighted owner, Mr Jameson. He quickly phoned his wife with the good news and was fulsome in his praise for the fire crews and firefighter Mike Kerr, who had brought the dog up.
“They have done so well, I am really grateful,” said Mr Jameson.
Mr Butterworth said he was delighted that the operation had proved such a success and he said it had provided valuable training for the team members in a real-life situation.
“It just goes to show what can be achieved with the right equipment and training,” he said.