Courtmac's RNLI crew springs to spaniels' rescue – on the double!

BY MARTIN WALSH 

THE Courtmacsherry lifeboat crew responded to a call out with a difference in recent days, when they ‘brought home’ two almost identical dogs from separate incidents, during the one rescue mission.

Both dogs were brown and white springer spaniels – one was called ‘Evie’, the other ‘Ned’.

First off, the crew were called to help Evie, a puppy that had become stranded on a steep cliff.

Shortly after 5pm on Friday the crew received a call that a springer spaniel puppy was stranded beneath a cliff near the village’s Fuchsia Walk. So the Sir Frederick Storey Cockburn, under coxswain Sean O’Farrell, mechanic Colin Bateman and crew members Paul McCarthy, Donal Young, Enda Boyle and Conor Dullea, was launched.

In what were described as ‘tricky’ conditions, two of the crew used the inflatable rescue dinghy and managed to bring a frightened brown and white Evie back to the Lifeboat.

Nearby, as the rescue was being completed, a 23ft pleasure boat – Speedie Bettie – developed engine failure and the same crew responded, bringing its skipper in tow. But the skipper had a passenger – a brown and white springer spaniel called Ned! The crew towed the Speedie Bettie and its two crew back to the Courtmacsherry pontoon at approximately 6.45pm.

Evie was re-united with her owner – a joyful Jo Murphy – at the pontoon, with Ned following closely behind. 

Lifeboat spokesman Vincent O’Donovan: ‘In the past we have rescued several dogs from rocks but this is the first time that we brought two dogs to safety in the one mission.  Evie’s owner did the right thing by alerting the emergency services. The danger is that people would attempt to climb down to rescue their dog.  It’s a very inaccessible spot from the walk and it’s better not to risk it in those situations.’

 A third rescue on Saturday involved a small craft (with a father and son crew on board) that experienced engine troubles before being rescued. The boat was subsequently towed back to safety in Courtmacsherry.