RNLI 200th: Rescue of spaniel which had fallen down cliff stands out for crew member Ally
The rescue of a dog which had the same name as one of her own stands out in the memory of Whitby RNLI crew member Ally Brisby.
A keen open water swimmer, Ally has always been aware that the RNLI is there if ever she came into danger.
"Since I moved to the coast, I’d been really interested in all the RNLI did and how they did it,” she said.
"I was sat in the pub talking to crew and they said to pop down.
"One story I love talking about was a spaniel that had gone over the cliff towards Saltwick Nab,” said Ally.
"We took a bag to bring the dog’s body back, but saw the dog hiding under the cliffs wagging its tail and feeling sorry for itself.
"I have two spaniels myself and radioed ahead to get the name, Willow – one of my dogs is called Willow!
"It was a black dog, gorgeous but timid.
"We got her on the ILB (inshore boat) safely and she had a graze on her back leg and was limping.
"I don’t keep count of the shouts but that was a warm feeling.”
Ally – a volunteer for six-and-a-half years – was also involved in the station's first call-out after Covid, to a crew 80 miles out – the vessel had gone under but they managed to save the boat’s three occupants.
She said the crew get a variety of call-outs – “you could be looking for a missing person, a rower, a dog, it’s a vast range of rescues we do up the coast.
"We even go upriver and operate in the marina.”