THIS is the heart-stopping moment a stranded pet dog is rescued from the choppy sea by a heroic lifeboatman.
Black Labrador Bailey, slipped her collar after being spooked by another dog and fell from a coastal path at Ilfracombe, Devon, as her owners watched on in horror.
The beloved pet dropped 60ft into the rough sea but survived the fall and climbed onto rocks.
She was left unable to move due to the surging waves and became stranded.
Her owner, Chris Carter, raised the alarm and coastguards first tried to reach her from the top but the hazardous terrain made an approach impossible.
So a crew from RNLI Ilfracombe launched their inshore lifeboat and got as close to the rocks as possible before lifeboatman Richard Woolmer got into the water and swam towards Bailey.
He carefully picked the scared dog up and swam through the choppy sea before they were both lifted into the boat.
Bystanders at the top of the cliff, including Bailey’s owners, cheered and clapped.
She was reunited with her relieved owners who thanked them for saving their beloved dog.
Afterwards Bailey was taken to a local restaurant and given some toast to help her get over her ordeal.
An RNLI spokesperson said: “The lifeboat got as close as was possible to the rocks where the dog was standing and one of the three crew members got in the water to swim the rest of the way while the other two kept the boat off the rocks.
“The dog’s owners were watching nervously from above.
“The crew member was able to climb up to reach the dog and grab her.
“He then swam back to the boat carrying the dog with him and both were hauled onto the lifeboat and made the short journey back to the lifeboat station where the dog could then be reunited with her family.”
Hero lifeboatman Richard, a 51-year-old self-employed builder, said he stepped forward to get the stranded dog as he has two Labradors of his own.
Richard, who was wearing a protective dry suit, said: “I couldn’t see the dog initially because the cliff was cut away at the bottom quite a bit but then I heard her bark.
“I’ve got two Labradors so I’m good with dogs and I said: ‘I’ll go get her’.
“The sea was very rough and there were a lot of rocks so it took an element of judgement.
“But I enjoy sea swimming and have full confidence in the crew otherwise I wouldn’t have put myself at risk.
“I’ve played a lot of rugby so I enjoy the physical side of things.
“There was a big ‘V’ between rocks so I used that as a channel to reach the rocks and clambered up them to get the dog.
“We quickly made friends and I then called over to the crew to say ‘we’re coming’.
“Thankfully the dog had a harness so I was able to guide her back to the boat.”
The rescue happened at 4pm last Friday.
RNLI Helm, Stuart Carpenter, said: “The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea.
“We’ll always launch to animals in difficulty if it means the owners avoid putting themselves in danger.
“Our advice is, if you see someone else or your pet in difficulty, don’t put yourself in danger by attempting a rescue. Instead, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
“We were pleased on this occasion to be able to successfully reunite this dog with its owner.”
