Spaniel Oscar survives 120ft fall from cliff near Old Harry Rocks (From Bournemouth Echo)

Spaniel Oscar survives 120ft fall from cliff near Old Harry Rocks

8:00am Saturday 31st July 2010 in

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A WOMAN took her friends’ dog out for a walk as a favour – only for it to plunge 120ft off a sheer cliff.

Laura Gardener, 41, feared the worst after seeing Oscar the cocker spaniel dive off the cliff near Old Harry Rocks.

Laura, a mum-of-three from Iwerne Minster, rushed down to the beach to find the five-year-old pet had landed on the beach with only a slight limp to show for the fall.

The dog was stranded by the incoming tide but a nearby canoeist picked him up.

Oscar was taken to a vet for a check-up but he was given the all-clear.

Laura had offered to take Oscar out for the day as a favour to owners Rupert and Emma Brown, who had their hands full with a newborn boy.

She took Oscar out along with her own dog Dougie and her three children, Joe, nine, Ava, six, and four-year-old Béa.

She said: “The coastal path was quite open and I thought it would be okay to let the dogs off their leads.

“As soon as I did they both went running off about 100 metres in the distance and Joe ran after them.

“Then all of a sudden Oscar veered towards the cliff.

“I shouted at them to stop but only Dougie did and Oscar flew over the edge.

“I peered over the top and saw Oscar sat down on the rocks on the beach and realised he was alive.

“He looked like he didn’t know what had hit him but he was alive.

“There was then a brief moment of celebration before I thought ‘How am I going to get him back up?’”

Rupert, 41, who runs a business selling dog products, said: “We were quite upset and worried at the time but Laura was brilliant and she did the right thing throughout.

“These things happen. Dogs will be dogs.

“Laura was just doing a favour for us.

“If she hadn’t taken Oscar out for the day he would have been cooped up indoors.”

Laura added: “I like to let my dog off the lead to give him a run but I’ll never do it anywhere near a cliff again.”

Steve Williams, a watch manager at Portland coastguard, said: “I can only assume he suffered a bump or two on the way down the cliff, which cushioned his fall.

“We always advise pet owners to keep their dogs on their leads near cliffs as the animals do get excited and can fall over the edge.”