Coast Guard rescue owner’s dog dies after being cut off by tide

A dog died as rescuers pulled its owner from rocks to safety but could not be retrieved.

Holidaymakers, including a young girl, immediately raised the alarm after hearing shouts of a walker falling and injuring his leg on Perranporth beach in Cornwall.

His beloved dog stayed with him when the tide came in, cutting them off from the mainland.

Coast Guard rescuers used a helicopter to hoist the man to safety, but said they were unable to recover the animal when they returned.

St Agnes Coast Guard Search and Rescue were alerted at around 4:30pm on Wednesday, saying they had spotted the dog and made every effort to capture it.

They posted on social media: “Once the casualty was lifted we began locating the dogs and we set up two edge safety officers who were able to see the rocks above and below the cliff.”

“Some time later the dog was found by Tom, a St Agnes rescuer, but unfortunately despite every effort we made to try and recover the dog we were unable to do so.”

They expressed condolences to the owner, but did not reveal his identity.

Do you know who the dog walker is? Email jane.dalton@independent.co.uk

They said: “St Agnes Coast Guard’s first duty is to save lives and conduct rescues, and it is always challenging when our efforts do not yield the results we want.”

“We are deeply saddened by the outcome of this particular mission.”

Wildlife photographer Bruce Hargrave witnessed what happened, Tell Cornwall Live Dog walker falls off coastal path.

He said: “I had been on the cliff all afternoon photographing skylarks when I heard a helicopter. I initially thought it was a drill but when I saw the little girl crying and talking to her mum I quickly Realize this is a real event.

“The tide came quickly and the beach below the cliff was flooded. The man fell on the rocks and injured his leg.

“His dog stayed with him the whole time. The sea was rough and huge waves were coming and crashing against the rocks, but luckily a family of holidaymakers on the coastal path heard his cries for help and called the coastguard .

“They were all very emotional. As I left the scene, coastguard personnel on the cliff were tightening ropes so they could safely descend to the rocks to continue the search for the man’s dog.”

Lifeboat crews and Newquay Coastguard rescuers joined the initial rescue efforts.