An injured dog was rescued and reunited with its owner hours after falling more than 100ft cliff in Peak District.
Sprocker spaniel breed, “Fig” Figgy, was walking with its owner, Kayley Williams, above Thor's Cave when the dog crashed down to the bottom of the cliff.
“We went up to the viewpoint and Figgy was exploring and just vanished,” Kayley said.
She added, “I didn't even realize the edge was there until I looked over myself.”
Ms. Williams scoured the areas around the edge before contacting members of the Derby Mountain Rescue Team to help broaden the search.
Upon arriving, the team conducted initial searches on foot and by rope to find the dog but the efforts lead to no progress.
However, it was only through the use of drones with infrared cameras that they were able to locate the dog and have Ms. Williams identify the dog as Figgy.
“I had almost no hope,” Ms. Williams said. “Mentally, I was choosing what to do with the ashes.”
“When they said they had found a heat source, I assumed it was her body and hoped it would at least be in one piece.”
“But then they showed me her on the camera and she was alive,” she added.
Kayley continued: “Even then, I thought she might be paralyzed or so badly injured she would have to be put down.”
Having a positive ID on the missing dog, Derby Mountain Rescue Team set up a rope system and have a member retrieve the dog.
Toby Green, the member who descended to retrieve the dog, was surprised to find out that the dog was mostly unscathed except for some potentially broken bones.
He narrated what followed after his descent: “She did give me a little growl because she was so scared, but after a few strokes she seemed happier.”
“I was going to try to carry her down in my arms, but she was too wriggly so I put her in my rucksack,” he added.
Toby resurfaced to the top and an emotional reunion between Figgy and Kayley ensued after he released the spaniel out of the backpack.
During the post-operation interview, Kayley commented, “When Figgy was let out of the bag, I made a noise I don't think I can describe.
“It was unbelievable, I was just so happy and I was so pleased. She gave all the team a kiss, they were amazing,” Ms. Williams added.
The operation ended at 1:30 pm, five hours after the response team rushed to the scene.
