Dog rescued from 60m cliff face in Devon

Devon Cave Rescue Organisatio Rescuer on cliffDevon Cave Rescue Organisatio
Volunteers "risked their lives" to abseil down the cliff face, owner Sian Upcott said

A dog tumbled down a sheer cliff face and spent three days "wedged" behind a tree 60m (200ft) above the ground.

Four-year-old Freya vanished while following a deer scent during a walk near Chimney Rock, on the Devon and Cornwall border, on Sunday.

Hundreds shared an appeal to find the Huntaway cross collie, but it was another dog who tracked her down.

Owner Sian Upcott said she "didn't know whether to laugh or cry" as volunteers completed a daring abseil rescue.

Devon Cave Rescue Organisation, which brought Freya to safety on Wednesday, said she was trapped "in a very precarious place".

Members Joe Cartwright and Rick Stewart abseiled over the ledge and brought her down in a bag.

Devon Cave Rescue Organisation Freya on cliff faceDevon Cave Rescue Organisation
Freya had three days with no food or water on the cliff face

"The rescue was terrifying - I was standing there open-mouthed with my hands over my face," Ms Upcott said.

"The Devon cave rescue guys just came out and just all dropped everything and risked their lives," she said.

Ms Upcott, 53, said she was staggered and "overwhelmed" at people's kindness.

Alice Victoria Sian Upcott with Freya and rescuerAlice Victoria
Sian Upcott, Freya's owner, said she didn't sleep for three days and nights while she was missing

Her daughter Alice, 25, said Facebook posts asking for help to find Freya had been shared "well over 1,000 times".

"The amount of people who were out looking for her day and night was incredible," she said.

Eventually a pair of walkers found Freya after their terrier refused to leave a spot overlooking the cliff.

Devon Cave Rescue Organisation Freya the dog with rescuersDevon Cave Rescue Organisation
Freya's rescuers abseiled down a sheer cliff face in expansive woodland to save her