A dog missing for five days was dramatically rescued by firefighters from under Clifton Suspension Bridge. Phoebe the akita cross disappeared almost a week before she was spotted at the water’s edge by photographers who alerted Avon Fire and Rescue.
The operation to retrieve Phoebe involved aerial drones and a specialist animal rescue unit, as well as ground search teams and a widespread online and offline awareness campaign. But the work paid off when the distressed pup was reunited with her owners on Monday.
Phoebe had disappeared from Clifton Downs, near the top of Pembroke Road, while out for a walk on September 14. She was spotted on the Portway, beneath the suspension bridge, at 9.30am on September 16 – but it would be three more days before rescuers would catch up with her.
Fire crews were called to the riverbank on Monday after a drone operator, alerted to the missing dog by Facebook group Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK, spotted what appeared to be an injured animal. This turned out to be a dead fox – but it meant the team was already on the scene when members of Boys in Bristol Photography approached them.
Karol Miksza, Krystian Maliszewski and Zbigniew Rebosz had been taking photos of the bridge when they noticed an agitated dog out of their reach, near the water. “We’d seen the posters about a missing dog and spotted Phoebe on the other side of the river, pacing back and forth in distress,” said Karol. “We were looking for potential owners, but there was no one to be seen.”
They contacted the RSPCA to report the stranded dog, before crossing the river to attempt to help the animal. Then they spotted Avon Fire and Rescue’s animal and water rescue unit nearby. “They followed us to the location together with Phoebe's owners,” said Karol.
“The rescue unit climbed down the wall onto the river bank and managed to safely get Phoebe bank on the sidewalk and reunite her with their owners.” Karol emphasised that theirs was just a small part in a bigger operation. “If you ever see a person or in this case an animal stranded or in distress, please do not walk past them turning a blind eye,” he said.
Drone enthusiast Graham Burton, of Pontypridd in Wales, founded Drone SAR for Lost Dogs UK five years ago. He says the volunteer group has helped locate 2,750 missing pets in that time. “We’ve got around 3,000 drone pilots all over Britain and Ireland,” he said.
“They basically search from above with their eyes in the sky. They can cover a lot more ground than you can walking, and see into places where you probably wouldn’t look if you were on the ground.”
He added: “I’m over the moon that we were able to help reunite Phoebe with her owners. When you reunite a dog with an owner it’s an amazing feeling that you’ve been able to help with this situation. I know the pilots feel the same as well.”
See the Boys in Bristol Instagram feed for more photos of the dramatic waterside rescue. Bristol Live contacted Phoebe’s owners about the rescue, but received no reply.
