Black Widow
11-17-2009, 04:04 PM
PLUCKY pooch Jack lived to tell the tale after spending a storm-lashed night — stuck on a ledge 200ft up a sea cliff.
Owner Kim Gregory feared the worst when his nine-year-old collie chased a rabbit over the edge of the 330ft drop called Doghouse Hill.
But the mutt managed to land on a narrow grassy outcrop a third of the way down and was stranded.
Dad-of-four Kim, 50, could see him gazing up mournfully and raised the alarm.
Coastguards dashed to the spot at Seatown, Dorset, and spent four hours trying to rescue him in driving rain and 60mph winds.
They abseiled down and at one point were just a tantalising 6ft away from Jack — but the weather worsened and they were forced to call a halt.
Kim, a builder who was visiting the coast for the day, checked into a local hotel and spent a sleepless night worrying about his dog.
At first light he returned to the scene with the coastguards — and four hours later trembling Jack was winched to safety.
Kim, of Blackwater, Hants, said: "He's one very lucky dog indeed.
"I was out with a mate walking Jack and my other dog Max when Jack suddenly decided to chase a rabbit along the cliff top.
"I lost sight of him but another dog walker came running up to me and said he'd seen him go over the edge.
"When I got to the edge of the cliff and looked over, my heart just dropped. I was convinced that was it.
"The cliffs are very jagged around there and the drop is sheer in places. I didn't think he could ever have survived.
"We looked all over for him and 20 minutes later I spotted him on the ledge.
"It wasn't much bigger than him and he was looking up mournfully."
A cliff rescue team from West Bay coastguards braved the foul conditions, crumbling cliffs and slippery rocks.
Kim added: "The coastguards really tried their best but the weather was too bad and it was too dangerous.
"Even so, when they said we had to call it off until it got light again I was very distressed.
"Jack hasn't been away from us for a night since we got him when he was a four-month-old puppy. He always sleeps with us.
"I booked into a hotel but hardly got a wink of sleep - I kept waking up and hearing the rain pouring down outside and worrying.
"We went back to the cliff at 7am and tried the rescue again and luckily he was still there.
"One of the coastguard team eventually managed to get down to the ledge, put him into a special doggy rescue bag and lifted him up with ropes.
"I saw his head poking out of the bag and as soon as he saw me, his tail started wagging.
"He was very cold, thirsty and a bit disorientated, but by the time he'd had a drink and something to eat he was right as rain.
"He's back home being spoiled now.
"I can't thank the coastguards enough for all their effort. They never gave up."
Rob Malpas, who led the team from West Bay coastguards, said: "The weather conditions were poor and the cliffs are pretty horrendous at the best of times.
"It's very rugged terrain and the dog would have had a very rough ride when he tumbled down.
"We made several attempts at repositioning ourselves to reach the dog, but we weren't able to.
"By 8pm there was nothing more we could do without endangering people's lives and we had to call it off.
"The poor dog wasn't going anywhere.
"In the morning, we tried again and managed to get down to him safely."
He added: "I've been a coastguard for 35 years and it was one of the longest and hardest successful rescues I've ever seen.
"The dog is safe and well, and back at home with his owner, so that's the most important thing."
A coastguard spokesman urged dog owners to keep their pets on a lead when close to the cliffs in the future.
The Sun
Owner Kim Gregory feared the worst when his nine-year-old collie chased a rabbit over the edge of the 330ft drop called Doghouse Hill.
But the mutt managed to land on a narrow grassy outcrop a third of the way down and was stranded.
Dad-of-four Kim, 50, could see him gazing up mournfully and raised the alarm.
Coastguards dashed to the spot at Seatown, Dorset, and spent four hours trying to rescue him in driving rain and 60mph winds.
They abseiled down and at one point were just a tantalising 6ft away from Jack — but the weather worsened and they were forced to call a halt.
Kim, a builder who was visiting the coast for the day, checked into a local hotel and spent a sleepless night worrying about his dog.
At first light he returned to the scene with the coastguards — and four hours later trembling Jack was winched to safety.
Kim, of Blackwater, Hants, said: "He's one very lucky dog indeed.
"I was out with a mate walking Jack and my other dog Max when Jack suddenly decided to chase a rabbit along the cliff top.
"I lost sight of him but another dog walker came running up to me and said he'd seen him go over the edge.
"When I got to the edge of the cliff and looked over, my heart just dropped. I was convinced that was it.
"The cliffs are very jagged around there and the drop is sheer in places. I didn't think he could ever have survived.
"We looked all over for him and 20 minutes later I spotted him on the ledge.
"It wasn't much bigger than him and he was looking up mournfully."
A cliff rescue team from West Bay coastguards braved the foul conditions, crumbling cliffs and slippery rocks.
Kim added: "The coastguards really tried their best but the weather was too bad and it was too dangerous.
"Even so, when they said we had to call it off until it got light again I was very distressed.
"Jack hasn't been away from us for a night since we got him when he was a four-month-old puppy. He always sleeps with us.
"I booked into a hotel but hardly got a wink of sleep - I kept waking up and hearing the rain pouring down outside and worrying.
"We went back to the cliff at 7am and tried the rescue again and luckily he was still there.
"One of the coastguard team eventually managed to get down to the ledge, put him into a special doggy rescue bag and lifted him up with ropes.
"I saw his head poking out of the bag and as soon as he saw me, his tail started wagging.
"He was very cold, thirsty and a bit disorientated, but by the time he'd had a drink and something to eat he was right as rain.
"He's back home being spoiled now.
"I can't thank the coastguards enough for all their effort. They never gave up."
Rob Malpas, who led the team from West Bay coastguards, said: "The weather conditions were poor and the cliffs are pretty horrendous at the best of times.
"It's very rugged terrain and the dog would have had a very rough ride when he tumbled down.
"We made several attempts at repositioning ourselves to reach the dog, but we weren't able to.
"By 8pm there was nothing more we could do without endangering people's lives and we had to call it off.
"The poor dog wasn't going anywhere.
"In the morning, we tried again and managed to get down to him safely."
He added: "I've been a coastguard for 35 years and it was one of the longest and hardest successful rescues I've ever seen.
"The dog is safe and well, and back at home with his owner, so that's the most important thing."
A coastguard spokesman urged dog owners to keep their pets on a lead when close to the cliffs in the future.
The Sun