Coastguard officers have been praised after rescuing a dog that fell 300 feet from a cliff onto a narrow ledge. The incident occurred at Nose's Point in Seaham, County Durham, where the pet, named Marley, tumbled over the edge during a walk but landed on an outcrop around 20 feet below.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency received a distress call from the dog's owner, who could be heard saying: 'My little dog has gone over the edge of the cliff. Oh, I can hear her. She'll be scared.' Rescuers from Seaham and nearby Sunderland quickly arrived at the scene, preparing specialist equipment for the recovery.
Among the team was Coastguard Rescue Officer Andy Heppell, known as 'the dog whisperer' for his success in rescuing dogs. He abseiled down the cliff face to reach Marley, who was barking and howling in fear. The rescue was captured on footage shared with the Daily Mail and will feature in the third episode of the third series of Channel 5's documentary Coastguard: Search & Rescue SOS, airing at 9pm on Wednesday.
Despite the precarious conditions, with loose rocks and strong winds, both Heppell and Marley made it back to the clifftop safely. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency handles more than 36,000 incidents annually, with over 3,500 volunteer officers across the UK.
