Family thanks 'angels' that saved their dog after he fell 50ft down Dartmoor dam

Obi is now recovering at home Credit: Mark Harding

The owners of a dog who was rescued after it fell over the Burrator Reservoir dam on Boxing Day have thanked the 'angels' that saved him.

Oban, known as Obi, was separated from his family and retraced his steps to the dam where he fell 50ft.

His owner Mark Harding went running back looking for him but was met by a distressed woman who told him what had happened.

Immediately upon hearing the news, Mark assumed Obi was dead, but after a sighting by someone at the bottom of the dam, a six-hour search for the labrador began.

Mark said: "I always have this fear of a dog jumping over so we always have the dogs on a lead going over the dam.

"We then crossed the dam into the woods and the dog got lost in the wood, we carried on walking and he must have tracked his way back the way he came and ran across the dam and someone tried to catch him we think but he went over the edge.

Obi broke his leg during the fall but is recovering well. Credit: Mark Harding

"Some kind person called the fire brigade who turned up with two crews from Princetown and Yelverton.

"We searched the woods, again and again, calling for him and it started getting dark and after four or five hours we assumed he’d run off.

"We ended up back at Meavy and were met by the angels that are Dartmoor Search and Rescue and they put a crew together and off they went. Within half an hour they had a sighting of him."

Around 20 members of the Dartmoor Search and Rescue team turned up on Boxing Day to help find the pup.

The incident also inspired more than 50 people to donate to Dartmoor Search and Rescue.

Mark says he is sure Obi would not have made it without the intervention and was relieved when he was finally found at the bottom of the dam.

He said: "He came to me and collapsed on top of me and then the search and rescue guys put him in a tent.

"One of the search and rescue team was our vet, Catherine Jones, so he was put into a van and taken straight to the vet surgery and operated on two days later.”

Obi suffered a break in his rear femur but other than that, just a few cuts and bruises.

Luckily Oban seems to be recovering really well and is taking advantage of lounging around the house.

Mark said: "He can’t do anything yet and it’s going to be a long recovery but I couldn’t be happier. I just wanted to say thank you."