A DOG that fell from a cliff in North Clare yesterday afternoon was successfully rescued from the sea by Irish Coast Guard volunteers.
The alarm was raised at around 4.30pm when the dog’s owners called emergency services reporting that their pet had fallen from the cliff at Trá Lathan near Doolin. Cliffs in the area are as high as 75 feet high in places.
Volunteers from the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard launched their D-class rescue boat and travelled to the scene a short distance from their station. Other members travelled to the location by road.
With persons on the cliff-top guiding volunteers to the location, the Coast Guard crew located the dog at Poulnagower and took it on board their boat and back to Doolin Pier to be reunited with its owner.
Doolin Coast Guard volunteer Emmet McNamara was joined by two other volunteers on the rescue.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he explained that the rescue boat was launched in a bid to reach the dog, named Bear.
"We needed to approach from the sea as the dog had obviously fallen down the cliff and was on a rock in the middle of this very narrow inlet, about 80m into the cliff face."
"The dog jumped off the rock and tried to climb the cliff again.
"When he realised he couldn't climb the cliff he made his way back to the rock and one of the crew got a hold of the dog with the boat hook."
"It sounds awful but it was the dog's collar and once he was held in position I was able to lift the dog into the boat."
The successful rescue effort was mounted and coordinated by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry.
