A large search and rescue operation was launched after a dog fell from a cliff in a Scots village.
Around 4:50 pm on Tuesday, police and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Teams were called to Roslin Glen to locate a black cocker spaniel. The response included volunteers from Tweed Valley, local crews from Penicuik, fire services, and a water rescue team, all racing to help find the beloved pet.
A spokesperson for TVMR told Edinburgh Live that the search was challenging as night fell, with the dog’s dark color and the tree canopy making visibility difficult. After hours of searching, teams suspended the operation overnight.
Tragically, the dog was found deceased by its owner on Wednesday morning, and a passerby helped retrieve its body.
The public has now been urged to exercise caution while walking, especially as nights grow darker with the clocks now set back.
A spokesperson for Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue said: “Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue volunteers attended along with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. They had attended with the rope rescue team, the water rescue team, because Roslin Glen has both steep-sided cliffs and water at the bottom of it, and local crews from Penicuik.
“The search was carried out in the dark and there is a tree canopy, and as the dog was a black cocker spaniel, unfortunately, it made the search very, very difficult.
“We stood down for the night as did Fire and Rescue. We had kept the owner informed all the way through, and he was going to go back out at first light to have a walk along.
“”At around 8am on Wednesday, it was confirmed the dog had been located but sadly had died. We had six volunteers from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue lined up and ready to go out to help recover the dog.
“Fortunately a member of the public had managed to go into the river and recover the dog himself.”
He added: “We would urge anybody to think about their own personal safety if they ever are in a situation like that.
“Tweed Valley is all volunteers, and we’ve all got day jobs, but we’ll attend any incident for lost, missing, or injured people, and on the other occasions animals.
“Now that the clocks have gone back, it gets darker earlier. Walks people may have undertaken last week might be darker now and people need to consider the risk factors in winter. We would just encourage anybody to think about where they’re going and take appropriate care which would include a torch and a fully charged mobile phone.”
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