2 weeks ago a dog died after jumping over a wall along a cliff edge :(
Owner had said she's always been obedient & well behaved etc etc

I was so angry after I heard this, I didn't express this when I was told (my friend had bred the dog and had a phone call that day from the owner) but I just can't believe the life of this lovely dog has been lost due to carelessness.
Maybe it's just me but I think so much about "what if".........."what if i let him off the lead along there, no the main road is too close"  "what if i let him off here, no no no to many edges he might keep running & not be able to stop"

I'm sad for the loss of the dog in the world and i do feel for the owner but common sense should have come into it when walking along a cliff edge!
Have fun at rainbow bridge little one xx

I have only once walked my dog along a cliff edge and not that close to it either, which was Beachy Head. I was worried as much as he will come back, if he see's a rabbit he is gone.. So i haven't been back as i didn't feel all that safe there.. Many, many dogs were running around off lead though.

I do see your point and we think we can trust them in certain situations, but you just never ever know..
Poor dog..x

RIP little one...

But at the same time if we all went "what if" our dogs would hardly be off the lead....

Very true - I wouldn't walk my dogs offlead along a cliff, but I've walked them along canal towpaths offlead for 7 years with no problems until Henry a couple of months ago decided to leap over a turnover bridge parapet instead of turning right and continuing along the bridge. He fell 6 foot into a field, rolled over and ran off unharmed - but it could have been a very different story!

My terrier once jumped out of a window in the tower of a ruined castle, luckily she was on her lead but she nearly broke her neck/got strangled before my OH pulled her in by her scruff, it was an awful few seconds and I still have no idea why she did it.

We walk in some areas that dogs could 'fall off' I suppose. But it is part of a cliff walk that loads of us do here and I dont think it would be changed by any one.
So sorry to hear of this little one but it seems to me more of an accident than carelessness.

Karen

I have walked along cliff edge with dog, too, and despite being mad he never attempted to jump off. He doesn't even jump into water if he can't see the bottom. I think the clue is here: 'a dog died after jumping over a wall along a cliff edge', the dog jumped over a wall, it probably thought the height the other side was the same as the height it came from, same with the dog jumping through a window, it probably thought it was ground level outside too.

my sister in law lost her springer over a cliff she walk that way for four years and the dog never went near the edge but on the day it happened she rolled on a dead seagul and just went over, to say it was the owners fault is not fair, accidents do happen can you truthfully say that you have never had one we should just be sorry for the owner , my sister in law has never got over it

Im afraid accidents can happen quickly..when you least expect it,even when you are careful.

We took our girls to bream beach and one of them decided to chace a seagull out to sea,the only thing was there was no sea,only sinking sand,we realy thought we had lost our girl,we could see her but could not get to her as she was stuck in the mud quarter mile out.
Iwas panic stricken and wanted to go in but hubby would not let me...of course he was right.
Eventully i kept shouting and shouting drawing a crowd,and some how she managed to get back to us,she  was so tired and filthy but that didnt matter,she was safe.
My point is i never expected that to happen and it did.

> But at the same time if we all went "what if" our dogs would hardly be off the lead....

I do see your point, i do let mine off just not in places where accidents could happen that might lead to death.

Yes it was an accident but so far this year 4 dogs have had accidents on the same walk, luckily those 4 were just hurt & didn't die. I know 4 doesn't sound like alot but i'm from the Isle of Man so 4 for over here is more than enough in my mind, there are plenty of lovely safe places to let dogs off but people would much rather walk along the coast, last year at a similar place but at the other end of the Island a dog did the same and also died :( 

> to say it was the owners fault is not fair

i'm not saying it's all her fault, i feel for this poor lady it must be heart breaking, i just felt angry that people hadn't learnt that this walk clearly isnt safe, in 6 months 5 dogs have fallen, resulting in 1 death

A few year  ago a corking cocker that came to my training classes went over the sea wall at the cliffs, she broke her pelvis,  she seamingly creamed like a pigglet. Poor wee soul.  

>I do see your point, i do let mine off just not in places where accidents could happen that might lead to death.

I'm glad you have those area's.  I live round fields and used to happily walk the dogs there untill one morning my dad was out walking them and one dog wanderd too far out onto a main road at 9 months, got knocked by a car luckily not too serious.  9 years later she once again got onto this road and was killed.

It happends, if I had somewhere 100% safe I would use it, I have to use somewhere 90% safe unfortantly.

It's a regular occurence down here.  Two already this year. :(
http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2009/dog-killed-brean-down-30-05-09.php
http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/2009/dog-killed-brean-down-01-03-09.php
http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/coastguard/dog-rescue-04-11-07.shtml
http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/coastguard/dog-search-25-03-06.shtml

and sometimes a happier outcome
http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/coastguard/26-8-05.shtml

WestCoast thats just where she went out to sea....we have walked on top that cliff many times and would not let her off the lead for fear off her going over the edge.
My other dog of same age not a problem off the lead as she is much more sensible and mature.

i know of a number of dogs who have met the same fate. a friend let their hound off and it hunted to the edge and went over. he climbed down and buried the body on the beach, as too big to retrieve! :( Another friend lost their jrt as it hunted a rabbit over the edge....it survived the drop but cost airsea rescue a fortune! Another friends dobe chased a seagull over the edge to its death. unfortuntely people seem unable to forsee accidents hence why dogs get walked on pavements without a lead :(

i am so paranoid about stuff like this - i'd love to let my dogs of the lead more often but i am always thinking of horrible scenarios in my head and deciding its not safe to let them off - there are only a few places where i am happy for them to run free and always as far from roads or cliffs as possible! i just couldnt live with myself if anything happened that i thought i could have prevented by keeping them on a lead.