The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dog rescued after night on quarry cliff edge
pets: Stranded Misty plucked to safety by rock climber
A pet dog has been rescued after spending a night stuck on a quarry cliff edge near Auchterhouse.
Hazel Anderson and her daughter Kerry lost sight of nine-year-old blue merle border collie Misty on Saturday afternoon at Balkello Community Woodland Park while out for a walk.
The pair were unconcerned at first as, if ever Misty went missing, she would usually find her own way back to the entrance to the park.
But they became worried when she did not return as darkness approached.
Hazel said: “We knew that it would start to get dark at around five so we started to get a little concerned.
“We walked around for some time then met someone who said they had seen a dog on the edge of a cliff and, shortly after, two guys came running down saying they knew where she was.
“They took us to her. We could hear her barking and see her from a distance but it was impossible to get to her.”
Hazel said that by the time the fire service were called at around 9pm, she had walked more than 12 miles in the bid to get to her.
It is believed Misty had fallen through some soft heather and ended up on a ledge on the quarry cliff, with no way for her to climb back up.
Hazel said the fire service were concerned about how dangerous it would be for someone to climb down to the ledge to try to get her pet.
She said: “There was no way to bring her back up in the dark so we decided to come back at first light. I hardly slept thinking about her stuck there.”
Luckily, at around 10am, experienced hill climber Steve Tartito was passing and fearlessly climbed down to grab her.
Hazel added: “We still can’t believe how she ended up there but we are just so lucky to have got her back.
“We’d like to thank the fire service and SSPCA, with special thanks to the two young men who helped us find Misty and the dog walker who rescued her.”