It’s not just cats who have nine lives!

If you were watching Meridian this week, you might have seen the remarkable story of Poppy the Springer Spaniel. She was out walking with her owners near cliffs, when she spotted a seagull and set out in hot pursuit – straight over the edge of the 300ft cliff.

Her distraught owners were astonished when she was found by the coastguard, shivering and terrified, but relatively uninjured, having fallen into the sea and swum ashore.

Suffering only a partially collapsed lung, Poppy is now fully recovered and back at home with her family.

Tragically, another dog fell from the same spot but did not survive.

Please be very careful if walking your dog near heights. Chasing is a favourite pastime of many dogs and if they set their sights on a target, they will not notice any potential hazards until it’s too late. Either avoid walking along cliffs altogether, or keep your dog on a short lead. As you can see, not all dogs have nine lives like lucky Poppy.