A DOG has “miraculously” survived after plunging 100 feet from a cliff top.
Black Labrador Retriever Pippa fell from Durlston Head on Sunday after dashing away from her owners, Daniel and Katy Pordadge.
She crossed two fields and wriggled under a fence before tumbling from the cliff straight into the sea below, narrowly missing the rocks.
Daniel said: “We were some distance away from the cliff top when she made a break for it.
“We’re from Hythe, and usually walk in woodland, so I think she spotted the sea and dashed straight for it.”
The 32-year-old added: “We know what she’s like – she likes jumping into water, although usually from a reasonable height, but as I ran over I was just hoping that she was sitting there waiting for me.
“When I got to the edge, I couldn’t see her, but suddenly I heard her bark. She had gone straight into the water.”
Daniel hailed some nearby rock-climbers and asked if they could use their equipment to reach three-year-old Pippa.
“One of them took my number, and I ran to the lighthouse to call the Coastguard,” he said.
“They arrived in two boats, and by that time, the rock-climbers had managed to get to her.”
Daniel and Katy rushed Pippa to a vet in Poole, but she escaped with just grazes and some tendon damage.
“It’s a miracle because she managed to avoid the rocks,” said Daniel.
“It was quite close. She fell into an area where there were no rocks in the water.”
And the experience won’t cause Pippa any lasting damage.
“She’s doing quite well hopping about on three legs,” Daniel said.
A spokesperson from Portland Coastguard said: “In this instance, the dog was being walked quite some distance away from the cliff top.
“However, we’d urge all dog-owners walking along the edge of the cliff to keep their dogs on leads.”