A fox red Labrador named Callie was rescued by RNLI volunteers after falling 10ft (3 metres) from a coastal path into the sea near Cockenzie Power Station in East Lothian, Scotland. Her owner dialled 999, and the Kinghorn lifeboat crew was dispatched to the scene.
The rescue team carefully manoeuvred their Atlantic 85 lifeboat beneath a jetty to reach the terrified dog, who was balancing on a small patch of rock. They grabbed her collar and pulled her to safety, where she received attention from the crew. Despite the fall, Callie suffered only an injured paw and was reunited with her owner at Cockenzie Harbour.
Neil Chalmers, a Kinghorn RNLI volunteer, said: 'We were so pleased to reunite Callie with her owners. They absolutely did the right thing by calling 999, asking for the Coastguard and not endangering themselves.' Just two hours earlier, the same crew had been called to another dog that had fallen from a sea wall at Gypsy Brae, Granton, but it was rescued by the fire service before the lifeboat arrived.
In 2021, RNLI lifeboats launched 169 times to dogs in difficulty across the UK and Ireland. The charity urges dog owners to keep pets on a lead near cliff edges or fast-flowing rivers, and advises against following a dog into water or mud; instead, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
