Skerries RNLI volunteers responded to an emergency 999 call reporting that a dog had fallen from a cliff in Loughshinny shortly before 11am on Saturday morning (22 June).
The volunteers in Skerries launched the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson at the request of Dublin Coast Guard, with the information that a dog was stranded on the beach in Loughshinny following a fall from a cliff face.
As the lifeboat was navigating to the location provided, the crew received an update from the coastguard that the dog’s owner had made their way down to the dog, but was unable to climb back up, and was also stranded on the beach.
When they arrived on scene, the volunteers quickly spotted the man and his dog on the beach. The lifeboat was positioned as close to shore as possible, before two volunteers were sent ashore to assess the man's condition.
Both the man and dog were in good spirits and did not require medical attention. They were assisted into the lifeboat and were returned to the safety of the shore at Loughshinny Harbour where they were handed into the care of the volunteers in Skerries Coast Guard who had also responded to the emergency.
The lifeboat returned to Skerries where it was washed down and made ready for the next service.
Weather conditions at the time had a Force 2–3 westerly wind with a smooth sea and excellent visibility.
This was the second call-out for Skerries RNLI this week after two teenagers raised the alarm on Tuesday (18 June) evening when they became stranded on Shenick Island.
The teens had made their way out to the island on paddle boards but, following a change in the weather conditions, became concerned about making it back to land safely. They were picked up from the island by lifeboat and returned safely to shore.
Speaking after the call-outs, volunteer lifeboat press officer for Skerries RNLI, Gerry Canning said: “It’s quite common when a pet is in difficulty for the owners to also end up in distress, so we will always respond to these calls and treat them like every other emergency. We are delighted that both the man and his dog were ok.
“The two teenagers on Tuesday evening made a smart decision to stay on the island and contact someone on shore to ask for help. Our volunteers are always ready to respond to emergencies, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
