Dog rescued by lifeboat and reunited with owners after 40ft cliff fall

A pet dog has been rescued by lifeboat after plummeting 40ft (12m) off cliffs in Pembrokeshire while on holiday with his owners. Chocolate Labrador Spice had to doggy-paddle in the sea for 40 minutes until he was picked up by a lifeboat close to Stackpole Quay near Pembroke.

Spice, who had been tiring from his unscheduled swim, was eventually reunited with his owners, from Lincoln. They had watched his struggle from the cliff top. Before the rescue, four-year-old Spice had managed to cling to a rocky out crop and as the crew approached he swam towards them, only to swim away as they got nearer.

A crew member with Tenby lifeboat then jumped into the water and guided Spice back to the boat. The RNLI said the dog was taken to a local vet and given the all clear. Spice's owners Tom and Kylie Crowe said they had let him off his lead to stretch his legs but he ended up falling off the cliffs. "One minute I could see him and the next thing I could hear someone shouting: 'There's a dog in the sea'. The next thing I realized it was mine," said Mr Crowe.

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"Spice was in the water for nearly an hour. We were shouting him the whole time and had borrowed a pair of binoculars to watch the situation unfolding. A wave had swept him on to rocks at one point - we really didn't think he'd be coming home. Seeing Spice coming towards us with the lifeboat crew was such an emotional experience. I think we were both in shock but unbelievably grateful to the crew." Bob James of the RNLI said Spice was lucky to survive the fall. The rescue was filmed by a member of the lifeboat crew.