A tiny dog was rescued by firefighters after a jump to retrieve a stone left him stranded 25ft down a riverbank.
Peanut the crossbreed took a leap into the unknown while out with owner Rachel Butler and her daughter on August 31 at The Monastery in Norwich.
Ms Butler said “My daughter and I love to walk by the river in the morning. She throws stones and we both shout ‘plop’!
“It’s always jolly good fun, but this particular morning Peanut decided that one stone definitely needed fetching and pitched himself over the wall. I can only imagine what was going through his head on his unexpected descent. Poor chap.” “I looked at him stuck down there and thought, ‘this is now an ordeal’. I started shouting for help and couldn’t believe it when an RSPCA officer called back from the other side of the river. He said it was going to be fine and set off at a run to come and help us. I was so relieved.”
RSPCA inspector Jason Finch, who rushed to Peanut’s rescue, said: “Poor Peanut was stuck some 25ft down the river bank, but miraculously had landed on the only bit of dry land there, which was next to a large tree.
“I was on the opposite side of the river trying to find a cygnet that had been reported in trouble when I heard Peanut’s owner shouting for help.
“Thankfully Peanut was not in any imminent danger and so I contacted Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service for help.
“They quickly attended and used a ladder to climb down and get to little Peanut. They popped him in one of my water rescue kit bags and brought him back up where I was able to check him over.”
Mr Finch added: “He really was one lucky dog, not only had he landed on the only dry piece of land on the bank he also did not have injuries as a result of the fall.
“Once I had finished checking Peanut, the swans that I had been looking for came swimming down the river and I was able to check that they were also all okay - so a happy ending for all involved.”
Ms Butler said: “I am so very grateful to the RSPCA and the firefighters for rescuing Peanut. He’s absolutely fine, he wasn’t even stiff in his haunches. He may be almost 14 but he’s still got no sense, the wally.”
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