A dog has died in a fall down the cliffs of Brean Down this week — the latest in a spate of sad incidents on the rocky outcrop.
Coastguards from Burnham-On-Sea and Weston, plus a Weston lifeboat, were called out on Monday morning (February 11th) to search for the missing animal after the distraught owner raised the alarm.
But, after a thorough search of the cliffs, nothing was found.
A Burnham Coastguard Officer said: “The mild days are very busy on Brean Down, it’s when many of us have the chance to get out and stretch our legs and take the dog for a nice long walk in the fresh Wintery air and enjoy our open spaces.”
“But even though Brean Down is a large open space we should also remember that it is very high. There is a lot of wildlife up there from birds and rabbits to larger livestock such as goats who are all used to the terrain and where to run to safety.”
“This means there is a lot of sights and smells that dogs just can’t help but explore. For these reasons we always advise that for their own safety, dogs should be kept on a lead while on high ground.”
“On Monday morning we were tasked to reports of a dog that had fallen over the edge of the Down near the Fort and was in the water.
Weston-Super-Mare Coastguard Rescue Team were also paged and arrived on scene and quickly found the distraught owner.”
“The dog had been seen attempting to get back to safety but then disappeared. Weston RNLI was tasked to search the surrounding waters but sadly nothing was found.”
“After a number of hours, the devastated owner was informed that there were no further sightings of the dog and there was nothing more we could do.”
“A sad ending to what started out as an enjoyable day.”
“Before we all comment we would like to say that Brean Down is very wide and open with very long sloping sides where the sharp drop edges can’t be seen, this can lead to a false sense of security where owners can feel that it is safe to allow their dogs off leads.”
“Also, the loss of a beloved pet in this way is very upsetting and we ask that comments are respectful, instead of a negative comment let’s help educate others and help reduce the number of dogs lost over the edge.”
“Education is by far the best action in this instance.”
“As always in an emergency like this, do not try and reach the dog but immediately dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
Pictured: Coastguards on Brean Down during Monday’s search (Middle photo: Burnham Coastguard)
