Dog 'lucky to be alive' after tumbling down 250ft cliff while chasing rabbits
What was meant to be a relaxing Father's Day walk for dad-of-two Miles Pettit along the scenic cliffs of the Isle of Man with his pet turned into a daring rescue mission
A dog is "lucky to be alive" after she plunged 250ft off a cliff after falling while chasing rabbits. Miles Pettit, 44, was enjoying an evening Father's Day walk with his three-year-old Airedale Terrier Beatrice along Marine Drive in Douglas on the Isle of Man at 8:20 pm on Sunday. But all of a sudden, the pooch pounced after some rabbits.
Beatrice disappeared out of sight along the scenic cliffs. And after reaching the edge of the cliff, the dad-of-two said he saw the pup slowly tumble down the mountain until she landed on a steep perch of earth and rock. Miles revealed he only became worried as after a couple of attempts of trying to climb back up Beatrice wasn't making any progress as the ground was breaking beneath her paws.
It was only then when Miles, an artisan baker, decided to call the Douglas Coastguard Rescue Team (DCRT).
They were thankfully able to retrieve the "shaken" canine after a daring rescue mission. After initial reports that Beatrice had fallen 100ft, the coastguards confirmed that she had in fact dropped more than twice that distance at 250ft.
Miles said his dog "is lucky to be alive". He added: "I am really happy she was retrieved - it would have been a terrible way to end what was a lovely day if we hadn't been so lucky.
"The coastguards arrived 20 minutes after my phone call and acted very quickly to save her from dropping further - they did a fantastic job. It was a shock for her (Beatrice) too - she has been very clingy since it happened.
"Hopefully she knows better for next time she is chasing a bunny. Fingers crossed she won't be doing it again anytime soon."
A Facebook post from the DCRT later on that evening read: "At 20.20 this evening Douglas Coastguards were called to rescue a dog that had gone over the Marine Drive while chasing rabbits.
Once on scene we were able to establish the dogs location and were quickly able to establish a holdfast to enable us to be able to lower a cliff tech to the dog and recover him.
"We are happy to report that the dog was soon back with his owner none the worse for his experience."
One grateful user replied: "Great job.. thank you.. these things happen and our public are very lucky to have you to have our backs."
Another added: "Very very lucky dog. And fantastic job as ever by our coastguards," while other hailed their efforts as "amazing."
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Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Dog 'lucky to be alive' after tumbling down 250ft cliff while chasing rabbits
What was meant to be a relaxing Father's Day walk for dad-of-two Miles Pettit along the scenic cliffs of the Isle of Man with his pet turned into a daring rescue mission A dog is "lucky to be alive" after she plunged 250ft off a cliff after falling while chasing rabbits. Miles Pettit, 44, was enjoying an evening Father's Day walk with his three-year-old Airedale Terrier Beatrice along Marine Drive in Douglas on the Isle of Man at 8:20 pm on Sunday. But all of a sudden, the pooch pounced after some rabbits. Beatrice disappeared out of sight along the scenic cliffs. And after reaching the edge of the cliff, the dad-of-two said he saw the pup slowly tumble down the mountain until she landed on a steep perch of earth and rock. Miles revealed he only became worried as after a couple of attempts of trying to climb back up Beatrice wasn't making any progress as the ground was breaking beneath her paws. It was only then when Miles, an artisan baker, decided to call the Douglas Coastguard Rescue Team (DCRT). They were thankfully able to retrieve the "shaken" canine after a daring rescue mission. After initial reports that Beatrice had fallen 100ft, the coastguards confirmed that she had in fact dropped more than twice that distance at 250ft. Miles said his dog "is lucky to be alive". He added: "I am really happy she was retrieved - it would have been a terrible way to end what was a lovely day if we hadn't been so lucky. "The coastguards arrived 20 minutes after my phone call and acted very quickly to save her from dropping further - they did a fantastic job. It was a shock for her (Beatrice) too - she has been very clingy since it happened. "Hopefully she knows better for next time she is chasing a bunny. Fingers crossed she won't be doing it again anytime soon." A Facebook post from the DCRT later on that evening read: "At 20.20 this evening Douglas Coastguards were called to rescue a dog that had gone over the Marine Drive while chasing rabbits. Once on scene we were able to establish the dogs location and were quickly able to establish a holdfast to enable us to be able to lower a cliff tech to the dog and recover him. "We are happy to report that the dog was soon back with his owner none the worse for his experience." One grateful user replied: "Great job.. thank you.. these things happen and our public are very lucky to have you to have our backs." Another added: "Very very lucky dog. And fantastic job as ever by our coastguards," while other hailed their efforts as "amazing."
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10 hours ago
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The businessman was taken to the 1,200-bed Civil Hospital less than a mile from Ahmedabad airport where the doomed Air India flight had taken off from before crashing just 33 seconds later. His dad Ramesh has been at his bedside but has been too upset to talk since the tragedy in which he lost his youngest son Ajay. Pilot of doomed India Air jet hailed a hero by locals who cheated death by a few feet Family friend Deepak Devjil said: 'He is still grappling with the tragedy.' The dad received a special Father's Day gift yesterday when his four-year-old son sent his best wishes. His youngster and wife have travelled to India following the crash and the family will soon be reunited, but Vishwash spoke to his son on the phone yesterday. The story of Vishwash's escape has astounded the world - and left experts speculating over how he cheated death. His brother, Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, was sitting five seats away and tragically lost his life in the crash. 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BBC News
14 hours ago
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