Portloe, Cornwall dog rescued after going over cliff

Falmouth inshore lifeboat was called out at around 10.30am on Tuesday (December 19) after the owner of the dog made an emergency call to the coastguard.

The dog had fallen off the cliffs near Portloe and the coastguard requested that inshore lifeboat provided safety cover for Portscatho and Mevagissey Coastguard rescue teams.

The coastguard abseiled down to the stranded animal which luckily hadn't fallen far. The dog was put into a coastguard rescue bag and carried back up the cliff to its owner unhurt.

A post on Falmouth Lifeboat Facebook page praised the owner for calling the coastguard rather than trying to rescue it themselves.

The lifeboat stood off as the rescue was carried out (Image: Falmouth RNLI)

It said: "Our crews pagers rang out at 10.34 this morning after a 999 call to Falmouth Coastguard from the owner of a dog which had fallen over cliffs near Portloe.

"The Coastguard requested the inshore lifeboat to provide safety cover for Portscatho and Mevagissey Coastguard rescue teams who were also tasked to assist.

"The lifeboat launched at 10.41am arriving on scene 25 minutes later, to find the Coastguard teams setting up and beginning to abseil towards the stranded dog, which had luckily not fallen too far.

"Once the dog was put into the Coastguard rescue bag, carried back up the cliff and re-united with its owner on the coast path, the lifeboat was released from service by Falmouth Coastguard at 1.12pm, returning to station at 1.40pm.

"In 2020 the RNLI had 57 lifeboat launches to dogs. In this instance the owner did exactly the right thing by not endangering themselves by attempting their own rescue, but calling 999 and asking for the Coastguard."