Amelie's a Fair-ly lucky pup; Dog rescued after three days stranded on 100m cliff face.Byline: BY VICTORIA McMAHON THIS is the miracle pup that survived three days trapped on one of Northern Ireland's most dangerous cliff faces. Cocker spaniel cocker spaniel, breed of small sporting dog developed from English cocker spaniels brought to the United States in the 1880s. It stands from 14 to 15 in. (35.6–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs about 25 lb (11.3 kg). Amelie went over the edge at 100m high Fair Head after she bounded over a heather bush. The five-month-old pup landed on a ledge 10ft down but as owner Stuart Howard and his girlfriend's desperate rescue efforts failed she fell another 30ft and got stuck in a tiny crevice crevice /crev·ice/ (krev´is) fissure. gingival crevice the space between the cervical enamel of a tooth and the overlying unattached gingiva. crev·ice n. . The terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. couple almost slipped over the cliff on the North Antrim coast trying to reach her. Stuart said: "We thought we had lost her. After 10 minutes we couldn't hear her crying and we think she fell off the ledge down further and got stuck in the crevice. "We think she knocked herself out. "The guys from the Coastguard where there within minutes and they were fabulous. But the problem was she is chocolate brown and we couldn't see her. "We all thought we were beaten. It was a terrible drive home. I didn't sleep a wink." But Amelie came round after her rescuers left and walkers heard her whimpering for help on Sunday and Monday. They kept the pup alive by dropping food - energy bars and dog biscuits - down until Coastal Rescue Officer Packie McMullan and six colleagues could come back on Monday for a second attempt. Packie explained: "There was only about 10ins of space where she was and you wouldn't have seen the crack when you were walking. "The way we looked at it was it could have been a child stuck down there, so we weren't going to give up. "Thankfully, it was quite thin so it was easier to get to it. If it had any weight on it we wouldn't have got it out." Onlookers helped the rescue team come up with ideas on how to get Amelie back up to safety. But after ropes, pullies and sewer hoops failed it was a dogcatcher's lasso lasso (lăs`ō, lăs  `), light, strong rope, usually with a smooth, hard finish, made of a fine quality of hemp or nylon. , with food dangling from it, that saved the day.
Packie said: "She went for the food and when she went to bite the food we pulled the cord around her neck. "She did a bit a squealing but we got it pulled out of the fissure fissure /fis·sure/ (fish´er) 1. any cleft or groove, normal or otherwise, especially a deep fold in the cerebral cortex involving its entire thickness. 2. a fault in the enamel surface of a tooth. . We didn't want to give up on it but it was a very trying challenge and it was a bit of learning curve for all of us. "It could have been a child down there. The experience stands us in good stead." An ecstatic Stuart heaped praise on the pup's rescuers. "We can't thank the coastguard guys enough. They did such a fantastic job. It was genius the way they got her out. "She got a big dinner when she got home and was running around. I've never been up there before and wouldn't be up again." We thought we were beaten, I didn't sleep a wink.. the way they got her out was genius OWNER STUART HOWARD YESTERDAY CAPTION(S): REUNITED Stuart with Amelie the spaniel spaniel: see sporting dog; toy dog. spaniel Any of several breeds of dogs used to flush game. Spaniels originated in Spain, but most modern breeds were developed in Britain. Breeds range from 14 to 20 in. |
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