Dog falls 100ft down cliff and survives

Archie, a terrier from Norwich, was rescued after falling 100ft in the Isle of Wight. Picture: Freshwater Independent Lifeboat Archant

A dog from Norwich fell from a 100ft cliff while on holiday - and amazingly was rescued unscathed by rescuers.

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Rescuers found Archie trapped in a part of the coastline only accessible by boat. Picture: Freshwater Independent Lifeboat Rescuers found Archie trapped in a part of the coastline only accessible by boat. Picture: Freshwater Independent Lifeboat

Archie, a four year-old terrier, was walking on Tennyson Down in the Isle Of Wight when he fell the equivalent of a seven-storey building on Tuesday morning.

The dog had been chasing a bird near Watcombe Bay which led him to tumble from the cliff edge.

He was found miraculously unharmed by rescuers from the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat crew and was perching on a ledge on a secluded part of the coastline only accessible by boat.

Rich Barton-Wood, from the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat crew told the BBC: "Archie was completely fine, not bothered in the slightest. I hope he won't do that again.

Rescuers took 30 minutes to reunite Archie with his owner, Mr Knoakes. Picture: Freshwater Independent Lifeboat Rescuers took 30 minutes to reunite Archie with his owner, Mr Knoakes. Picture: Freshwater Independent Lifeboat

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"It's astonishing. It's about 100ft high and there's no access by foot so the only way in is by boat, so the lifeboat went in."

The coastguard had been contacted at around 11.40am by Archie's owner, Mr Knoakes, and the dog was saved just 30 minutes later.

Lifeboat helm Kai Hall, from the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat crew, said: "Archie was very well behaved on the way back.

"It's a concern for crew when dealing with animals, they are often scared and can be unpredictable."

Josh MacGregor, lifeboat crew member added: "The crews were delayed by several minutes in Avenue Road in Freshwater Village. A lorry had blocked the road, and cars couldn't move. A number of crew members, who were passengers ended up taking to foot and running to the boathouse."

The team at Freshwater Independent Lifeboat crew warned pat-owners to avoid cliff-edges when walking animals and to not attempt to rescue any trapped animals.