A Portland pet has been branded a ‘miracle dog’ after getting back on her feet following her 110-foot fall down a cliff.

The rough collie owned by Portlander Janet Gallagher suffered a broken jaw, punctured lung and a brain haemorrhage when she fell off the edge at West Cliff and was nowhere to be seen.

“It’s a real miracle she’s alive. I can’t believe she survived it,” Janet said. The owner has praised the skill of the coastguards for saving the day.

When coastguards pulled the 16-month old dog back up the cliff Mrs Gallagher kept the children away as Sophie was not expected to be a pretty sight and she thought she would be dead.

But to everyone’s surprise she was still alive and on the drive to the vets in Weymouth she got back on her feet on the seat of the car.

Sophie gave her owner a further scare when she collapsed from shock on the treatment table and then underwent an emergency operation when her lung gave way.

Luckily for the family, Weymouth-based charity Paws helped by funding the veterinary bills.

Janet, 54, has now been allowed to bring her pet home to Grangecroft Road.

She said: “She’s not out of the woods yet as I’ve got to keep her calm and push her jaw back if it falls out of line. I can’t believe she fell that far and she’s relatively OK.

“If it was not for the coastguards being so close and so brilliant she would be dead. We’re so grateful to Paws for their help and we hope to raise money for them.”

Janet also praised vets at Moorcroft Veterinary Surgery in Dorchester Road, Weymouth, for their ‘fantastic’ quick response.

She only bought Sophie five days before the accident and said she may re-name her ‘Lucky Lassie’.

Her pet was a show dog who has won rosettes for best puppy and best of breed in the past.

“But I think her show days are over as she now has a squinty eye and an out of line jaw,” Janet added.

Sophie was being walked by Janet’s daughter Tina Jacob on Thursday at 6pm when she went over the cliff. Tina was with her 11-year-old son Joe and his friend Isla.

After checking if she could get to her mum’s pet down a path, she asked a man at Southwell Business Park to call the coastguard.

Tina, 32, of Martinscroft Road, Portland, said: “It was a miracle. I don’t know how she scraped through.

“It was a sheer drop and the coastguard couldn’t believe it. She fell onto a patch of grass the size of a car bonnet and if she’d fallen two feet either way she would’ve been dead. There were rocks each side.”

Portland Bill Rescue officers went down on ropes with an animal harness to save Sophie.

Ros Evans, Portland Coastguard watch manager, said: “The advice is always to keep your dog on a lead near any cliffs. This dog was extremely lucky and if it’s getting there then we are all absolutely delighted.”

To donate to Paws call 01305 833756.