Luna the cockapoo is reunited with her owner after two-day, 40-person rescue mission when she fell down 500ft cliff

Cockapoo named Luna was reunited with her owner after a 40-person rescue mission that lasted two days after falling off a 150-meter cliff.

Rescuers had to make a ‘coordinated pincer movement’ at the edge of the cliff to catch the dog.

Luckily Luna crashed on a ledge just 50 meters high at Thorncombe Beacon on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.

The search became more difficult as the frightened cub continued to run away from his rescuers at the edge of the ledge.

Despite their persuasion efforts, the coast guard teams had to abandon their rescue efforts on the first day due to the darkening and worsening of the weather.

Three coastguard crews from Beer, West Bay and Lyme Regis returned to try to rescue Luna at daylight the next day and were joined by two fire crews.

The Cockapoo was eventually coaxed, placed in an animal rescue bag and lifted by crane to the top of the cliff where he was handed over to his relieved owners.

Luna fell from the cliff between Eype and Seatown in Dorset just before 5pm on Thursday.

Rope rescuers carried out a ‘coordinated pincer movement’ and eventually managed to rescue the dog unharmed

A rescuer on the rope lowered himself to his position, but Luna ran toward the ledge and could not be caught.

After the teams returned on Friday morning, rope rescue teams carried out a ‘coordinated pincer movement’ and eventually managed to remove the dog unharmed.

The coast guard advised dog owners to walk their pets on the rocks.

A spokesman for Beer Coastguard said: ‘Please keep your dogs on leash when near the cliff edge, this rescue took over 11 hours in total, involving more than 40 people over two days.’

The spokesman added: ‘Numerous things were attempted to get her to return, but as the weather deteriorated and conditions at the top of the cliff deteriorated it was decided to abandon this attempt with the intention of returning in daylight if Luna could be seen or heard in the late evening.

‘Beer, West Bay and Lyme crews returned to the scene with additional assistance from the fire and rescue abseil team.

‘Our plan was to try to get a rope technician down the cliff from either side of where Luna was, but Luna went to the other side of the cliff.

‘The insistence of the coast guard rope technician worked and after a while they seduced him, put him in our animal bag and brought him safely to the top of the cliff and handed him over to his owners.’

Three coastguard crews and two fire crews from Beer, West Bay and Lyme Regis were deployed to assist Luna

A spokesperson for Bridport Fire Station said: ‘Incident commanders from West Gulf Coast Guard, Bridport Fire Station and the technical rescue team worked together to create a safe rescue plan.

‘Two rope rescue teams were deployed over the cliff on either side of where the dog was found and formed a co-ordinated pincer movement to secure the animal safely.

‘A rope technician from West Bay successfully captured the dog and he was later brought to safety and reunited with his owners. Fortunately, no obvious injuries were reported.

‘This was an excellent example of multi-agency collaboration with rescue services working together seamlessly.’