Paul March and his dog Lucy were walking the trails at East Coast Trail in eastern Newfoundland. On their outings, Paul would normally let Lucy off her leash to run ahead and she would always come back. But this time was different. She did not come back. Paul started to get worried and called out for her. “I was a mess because she always comes back, and I have a collar on her that vibrates around her neck and gets her attention in case I need to,” he said. Paul and several other hikers searched and eventually found that Lucy had fallen over a cliff to the rocky edge of the ocean below.
“My dog is my best friend — she’s my buddy. We play together, she hikes with me, we go everywhere together, and to look down in the cove there and see her clinging to the rock and periodically being washed off and swim back again it was just heartbreaking knowing that I couldn’t do anything.”
Paul called the local fire rescue and the situation went out over the radio.
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It was a traumatic experience for both Paul and Lucy but he was thankful that the Costellos happened to be in the right place at the right time.
“To jump into that frigid water and start swimming, that was unbelievable to see somebody do that,” he said.
Lucy had always been obedient off of the leash and he’s never had any trouble with her before this experience. But next time it won’t happen as he intends to keep her on the leash.
Everything seemed to align perfectly for this great outcome. Amazing!
