Bark to life...cry that saved 300ft plunge spaniel
THE owners of a springer spaniel feared the worst when he fell 300ft down a waterfall.
But the relief at hearing his bark 45 minutes later was short-lived – 15-month-old Louis was stuck on a ledge with another 300ft drop below him.
Owners Helen McKean, 55, and husband David, 56, faced another five-hour wait while the young dog was rescued.
Helen said: “We didn’t know if he was injured or not. We feared the worst.”
Thankfully, Louis was shaken but “wagging his tail like mad” when reunited with his worried owners.
The pet pooch vanished from sight while out for a walk at Grey Mares Tail waterfall near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, last Wednesday.
Spotted
Mother-of-three Helen said: “He ran about 50 yards away from us to the edge of the waterfall.
“Then he disappeared. I thought he had fallen down the waterfall.
“A wave of relief poured over me when I heard his bark.
“My husband spotted him on a ledge having fallen 300ft. Another 300ft drop was below the ledge.”
The retired nurse raised the alarm and it took the Moffat Mountain Rescue team more than three-and-a-half hours to climb up the waterfall to reach the trembling canine.
They then put Louis into a rucksack to lift to safety.
Helen said: “He was wagging his tail like mad, and I was in tears.
“The first thing he did was gobble some food down.”
But although it was his first hill walk, it was also his last.
Helen added: “Future walks will be flat walks.”