Sometimes, it’s the dog who gets into a sticky situation. But in the UK, a dog parent has hailed his dog a hero after he fell 200ft down a ravine last month.
76-year-old Martyn Clark spent a month in hospital with multiple injuries after the fall, but has now been reunited with Saluki-Collie cross Suki. Clark and his pooch were on holiday when he fell 200ft. She refused to leave his side until she saw a family walking nearby and ran over to them to get their attention.
Looking For Help
She ran over to Tom and Danielle Wykes and their family before running back to her dog dad, and then did the same thing again after they didn’t follow the first time. Once they followed the smart canine, they found Martyn and were able to get help.
“If it hadn’t been for Suki I don’t think he would have made it,” said Tom, “She’s a clever and loyal dog. It was very reminiscent of Lassie. Martin fell on Tuesday morning, on July 27 and we didn’t find him until Wednesday evening.”
Clark was staying at a campsite run by local farmer Martin Ford. He was able to use his chainsaw to clear a path so that Cleveland Mountain Rescue could reach Clark and get him out safely.
While Clark recovered from chest, shoulder, back, and leg surgery, Ford also stepped in to look after Suki. “Suki is lovely,” he said, “She has a very pleasant nature. It’s obvious she’s missing her owner.”
The Pair Reunited
Speaking about the ordeal, Clark said that he “was drifting in and out of consciousness. Suki pushed her cold nose against my face and was staring into my eyes.”
“I think she knew how desperate things were getting. She looked at me as if to say, ‘What the heck did you do that for?’”
While Clark is back home with his heroic canine, he said that he’s a little less active now. However, Suki understands. “She put her paws on my chest, had a good look, and understood things’ll be a bit different now,” he said.
