Dog feared dead reunited with family three days after cliff fall in Cornwall

  • Watch Woody rescued by an RNLI rescue team

A dog has been rescued and reunited with its owners three days after falling 150ft down a cliff in Cornwall.

Woody the sprocker spaniel disappeared while on a walk with his owners on the cliff path near Dannonchapel.

His owners had given up hope after spending more than 24 hours trying to find him.

But three days later, a farmer heard barking and used a drone to locate the dog before raising the alarm.

Port Isaac RNLI crew then managed to reach Woody and get him back to safety.

Crew member Ben Spicer said: "Woody gave us a good run around to start off with as he was understandably distressed, cold, tired and hungry.

"It felt fantastic to get Woody out of there and back to his owners. I can only imagine how horrid it must have felt not knowing his circumstances over those days."

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After a check over by dog first aider Jenny Pickles, Woody was reunited with his family.

His owner Jon said he felt "sick to the stomach" having to leave his beloved pet.

He added: "Then we had the phone call telling us he had been heard barking down a cliff. Words can't express how delighted and overjoyed we were.

"The whole thing is a miracle. It's amazing he survived the fall, the couple of nights alone and that he was rescued. How on earth? We can't thank the RNLI crew enough."

Volunteer Ben praised the multi-agency effort saying: "It was a great team effort with multiple organisations involved. It could have easily gone the other way for Woody."

It is the time a third dog to fall over a cliff in Cornwall this month.

One dog died after falling on the coastline near Poldhu and Gunwalloe, prompting a warning from coastguard teams dispatched to retrieve its body.

Another incident saw a dog feared dead when it fell from a cliff, but it was later found alive by two surfers and was successfully rescued.

The RNLI has issued the following safety advice:

  • Keep dogs on a lead if you are close to cliff edges or fast flowing rivers

  • If your dog goes into the water or gets stuck in the mud do not go after them Move to a place your dog can reach safely and call them.

  • If you are worried about your dog call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.