Lucky dog survives 120-foot fall from cliff

English Springer Spaniel Beau is a very lucky dog.

The energetic 12-month-old was walking with her owners, Phil and Michela Raymond, at Old Harry Rocks on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, southern England, on New Year's Day when she was distracted by a seagull — and chased it off a cliff.

"We were just about to put her lead back on her when she saw a seagull," Phil told the Daily Mail.

"Being a Springer Spaniel she went straight after it. She briefly looked back at me but then disappeared. I prayed it was a false edge and there was a little ledge below."

There was no false edge. Beau fell 120-feet into the water below.

The horrified owners were shocked to find their puppy swimming at the bottom.

"I lay on the surface and looked over the edge and half-expected to see her laying dead but instead saw her doggy-paddling in the sea," Phil said.

Passengers in a nearby fishing boat witnessed the incident and moved close to the dog to watch out for her until the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) arrived.

Beau was quickly returned to her owners — in perfect health.

'We are extremely grateful to the lifeboat crew for getting to Beau so quickly," Michela told the Daily Mail.

"We help save human lives at sea, but will respond to animals in trouble to prevent owners taking unnecessary risks to help their pets. The RNLI recommend that people keep their dogs on leads when walking near cliff edges. The dog was lucky to escape the fall unscathed thanks to the high tide," RNLI spokesperson Dave Turnbull said of the rescue.

Beau declined to comment after the incident, the Telegraph reports.