Missing dog lured from clifftop hole with sausage roll

By Lauren Beavis via SWNS

A dog presumed dead after it was missing down a clifftop hole was found alive and tempted back to the surface - with a sausage roll.

Henry's owners feared he had likely fallen down a fissure on the South West Coast Path and had not made it.

But they were left overjoyed after he was rescued several days later by coastguards in Boscastle, Cornwall, England.

The pooch first went missing last Friday (April 8), along the undergrowth at The Strangles.

Rescuers were unable to see or hear the dog after searching for him for two hours with drones - and there was still no sign of him after another 24 hours.

After no luck in their search, Henry was presumed dead and his heart-broken owners had accepted that their walk would have sadly been his last.

That was all until two days later when a barking dog was reported being heard in the area.

On Sunday (April 10), at 5:46 P.M., Boscastle Coastguard and Bude Coastguard Rescue Team responded to reports of a dog that had been heard and found approximately 20 feet down one of the tight fissures near to where Henry was last seen.

The rescue heroes quickly decided the best method of extraction was to set up a rope rescue kit - and of course deploy a sausage roll and snacks for the mission.

Boscastle Coastguard team said: "Once set up, a cliff technician was sent down to retrieve Henry with half a sausage roll and some treats.

"After approx. 30 mins of shuffling and squeezing and some lassoing, we managed to get a lead around the dog and pull him up to safety to the obviously overjoyed and happy owners.

"Once all kit was stowed away and everyone happy, the teams were all stood down."

Henry was saved alive and well and was reunited with his overjoyed owners.

One comment praising the dedicated and brave team said: "I’m Henry’s breeder and was in close contact with his owners throughout it all.

"They were out every day he was missing for hours at a time searching and never gave up hope.

"Thank you to the Coastguard teams, the passerby who heard him and EVERYONE involved in making this a happy ending."