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Coastguard rescues dog which plunged off Isle of Man cliff edge

Douglas Coastguard Rescued dog and coastguardDouglas Coastguard
It took crews more than five hours to get Nelly back to safety

A dog ran away while out on a walk and plunged 150ft (45m) off a cliff edge, prompting a rescue mission by the coastguard and RNLI.

Nelly, a two-year-old bull mastiff, had to be winched up a cliff after going over the edge in Laxey on Sunday afternoon.

It took crews more than five hours to bring the dog back to safety at about 23:30 GMT.

Owner Julie Gerrard said she was "still in shock" after the experience.

She said she had called on help from friends and neighbours to find her pet and a local farmer spotted the dog after hearing her bark from below.

Teams originally tried to get the dog onto a lifeboat, but it was difficult as the pet was stuck on rocks about 30ft (10m) above sea level.

Douglas Coastguard Coastguard and lifeboat teams on cliffDouglas Coastguard
After rescue attempts from the water failed, teams used ropes to pull Nelly from the rocks

RNLI mechanic Tom Edwards said they were working in "challenging conditions" battling wind and heavy rain.

After efforts to retrieve Nelly from the sea failed, crews were able to winch the dog up the side of the cliff.

Mr Edwards said the animal was "very lucky" to have suffered no injuries.

Julie Gerrard Nelly the bull mastiffJulie Gerrard
Nelly was not injured by the cliff fall

Ms Gerrard said when they first realised what had happened "panic started to set in" and they had been "preparing for the worst".

She said the last 24 hours had been a "whirlwind" and she was grateful to the teams who rescued Nelly.

"To do all this for a dog, I'm still in disbelief... they went above and beyond," she added.

She said having Nelly home was "just incredible", but her pet had been "nonplussed" about the cliff rescue.

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