Kayakers who saved dog following fall from Dublin cliff 'delighted' after Liveline appeal
Anne Lynch shared how she had been walking along the cliffs of Howth with her dogs Rollie and Sugar in March when she turned a bend and was unable to see her Pomeranian, who had been a bit ahead of her.
On learning that Rollie had gone over the cliff, Anne looked over to see if she could find her pup and then spotted four kayakers who came to the dog's rescue. Anne Lynch shared how she had been walking along the cliffs of Howth with her dogs Rollie and Sugar in March when she turned a bend and was unable to see her Pomeranian, who had been a bit ahead of her. Pic: Liveline/X
Making an appeal on RTÉ Radio 1's Liveline during the week, Anne said: 'We just want to say to [the kayakers], we just want to apologise for not getting their names or numbers, but let them know that Rollie is safe, and you saved his life.'
On Thursday, presenter Joe Duffy spoke to two of the kayakers, Jeff Doherty and Tommy Daly, who explained that they had been out for a paddle when they saw some people (Anne and her friends) hailing them from the shoreline.
Jeff detailed how they had thought the people were saying hello first, but quickly realised there was something wrong.
Rollie from Sutton who is recovering from falling off a cliff at Howth… His owner, Anne, is desperate to find the kayakers that saved him… 0818 715 815 if you know who it is! pic.twitter.com/deg7LsrGHo — Liveline (@rteliveline) May 27, 2025
'Anne and her friends were shouting to us could we see a dog that had fallen,' Jeff shared, 'We couldn't until we got quite close. At that point, I could see a dog not moving.'
The kayaker managed to get over to Rollie, who was 'lying motionless but conscious [with] a bit of blood around his face.'
Jeff brought Rollie to Tommy, with the kayakers then managing to inform Anne they needed a vet and would meet them at the shoreline.
'I was delighted to hear yesterday, or the day before, that he'd survived,' Jeff told Joe, 'It really was good news because he'd looked like he was in a bad way. He was totally in shock.'
Tommy added that they hadn't known what the outcome was until the radio appeal made earlier in the week.
'I'd say he fell off higher than the top balcony of a block of flats.'
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