'Miracle' Jack escapes jaws of death after danger leap

IT'S normally cats that have nine lives - but one miracle pooch from Edinburgh has proved that dogs can be equally capable when it comes to cheating death.

Intrepid pup Jack is lucky to be alive and licking after jumping over a wall expecting to find water and instead plummeting 25 feet on to jagged rocks below. The over-enthusiastic puppy - a Collie/Labrador/Irish Wolfhound cross-breed - had jumped on to the wall at Gypsy Brae after spotting the enticing waters of the Forth in the distance.

Instead, there was just the terrifying drop, and owners Andrea McFarlane and Dave Ho, and their two-year-old son Ryan Ho, were left horrified when they saw their beloved puppy disappear over the wall.

And Miss McFarlane, 27, admitted she had feared the worst when she saw Jack on the rocks below.

"Jack has only turned one so he was very hyper," she said. "From where we were standing, he clearly had got the idea into his head that the drop led to a pool of water, so he bounded off the edge of the wall.

"All we could do was watch in horror as he flew through the air, and when he crashed to the bottom it made a horrific sound.

"I looked over the wall and I just thought he must be dead. I had to walk away, I couldn't look. Ryan saw him go over the wall as well and he was running over to try and see what happened. It was just horrible."

Mr Ho, 28, was about to follow his dog over the wall when a passing cyclist told him "not to be an idiot". He then sprinted along to an opening in the wall and made his way along the rocks to the prone pup, who he carried back to the family car. Jack was raced along to the PDSA vet hospital at Slateford, where the family were given the amazing news that, despite being a little bit battered and bruised, their dog was otherwise unharmed.

And when the vets heard what had happened they quickly dubbed Jack a "miracle" dog, telling the couple the fall should have killed him.

"We took him to the PDSA vet hospital at Slateford as he had cuts to his head and legs, but incredibly he had no broken bones, which I just thought was amazing," said Miss McFarlane. "The vet said he was a miracle dog to get up from that. Jack was given some painkillers and antibiotics, so he's a bit subdued, but he's going to be fine, and he'll certainly be getting lots of treats for the next wee while."

The playful pup is now being kept under a close watch at the family home in Telford Drive, and Miss McFarlane added that they wanted to thank the mystery cyclist who stopped to help them. "In the moment we didn't get to ask the cyclist's name or say thank you to him, but I'd like to thank him now," she said."He was such a help, and he kept talking to Jack while Dave went down to get him, as I couldn't look."