A Labrador dog had a lucky escape when he fell onto rocks in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Dún Laoghaire RNLI rescued the five-year-old dog named Thor after he fell from the East pier into rocky breakwater.
Thor’s owners were enjoying a sunny morning stroll when he unexpectedly thundered headlong onto the rocks some metres below the walkway.
A bystander called the emergency services at 9.52am on Thursday to raise the alarm and the inshore lifeboat, helmed by Gary Hayes along with three other crew members onboard, launched within five minutes.
Weather conditions at the time were good with plenty of sunshine and a calm sea.
Thor was quickly located by the lifeboat crew. However, as he had fallen into a small opening and was almost hidden beneath the rocks and had injured his head, it made for a challenging extraction for the crew.
Once he was safely extracted, the lifeboat crew brought Thor onboard before reuniting him with his delighted owners.
Mr Hayes of the Dún Laoghaire RNLI said: “We were delighted to see Thor safely returned to his owners yesterday following his ordeal. We would remind anyone walking a dog at the coast to keep them on a lead if close to cliff edges, piers, and paths near the sea.
“If your pet does go into the water or gets stuck in mud, don’t go in after them but rather move to a place where you can safely get to and call them as they may be able to get out themselves.
“If you are worried that your pet may be in danger, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard”.
