The body of a dog which plunged down steep cliffs on Brean Down at the weekend was retrieved by its owners on Monday (March 29th), who have called for more warning signs to be introduced.
A friend of Lorraine and Jonathan Hawkins found Daisy, their missing greyhound cross whippet, at the base of the cliffs near the fort.
The seven year-old animal (pictured below) has become the latest victim of the treacherous cliffs, which have claimed almost a dozen dogs in just the last two years.
An extensive search operation for the dog was conducted on Sunday afternoon by Burnham Coastguards and a lifeboat crew but no sight of the animal was found. Burnham Coastguard Officer Steve Bird is pictured above with the distraught couple.
On Monday morning, a friend of the couple returned to the Down and found the body of the animal.
“We think she’d chased a goat or rabbit and fallen down to the beach below,” Mr Hawkins told Burnham-On-Sea.com. “It’s been a very sad couple of days for us.”
He said the couple are unhappy about the lack of warning signs on the Down.
“We would like to see far more warning signs, given the high number of dogs that have been lost here over the years,” said Mr Hawkins.
“The Down looks benign, but the rocky cliffs are very steep and ultimately dangerous, as we have sadly found.”
“I am taking the matter up with the National Trust, which oversees the Down, and will be pressing them to consider some safety changes.”
The incident also comes just a few days after several climbers on the Down sparked another call-out for rescue crews amid fears they were cut off by the tide – as first reported here.
