A dog was left wet and frightened but safe after plunging 165ft down a cliff near Forres.
Emergency services were called to Sluie Walk, south of Forres, following reports of a dog falling, and his owner climbing down to try and rescue him.
Unfortunately, the owner got stuck on the cliff, about 10m from the top.
Coastguard Rescue Teams from Burghead, Nairn, Buckie, and Portsoy were sent out to the scene, alongside police and fire service personnel from Forres and Nairn.
The incident happened at about 3.30pm on Saturday, April 10.
A technical rope rescue system was set up, and the coastguard lowered a rescuer to the person trapped on the cliffs before conveying him up to the clifftop.
He was then passed over to paramedics from the local air ambulance crew.
The dog had been spotted at the bottom of the 50m cliffs and was recovered by a passing raft from Ace Adventures.
He was safe and well and was only wet and frightened after his ordeal.
Colin Wood, senior coastal operations officer for the coastguard, encouraged dog owners to keep their pets on a lead when near cliffs and water.
He said: “Fortunately, this incident ended with a good conclusion but the outcome could have been very different.
“We encourage all dog owners to keep dogs on a lead when walking near any cliffs and water, even well-trained dogs can end up falling.
“If your pet does fall into water or down cliffs, do not attempt to rescue the animal, we understand this seems a natural reaction, however, often the person attempting the rescue ends up in a more dangerous position than the animal.
“Instead, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard straight away. We would also like to pass our gratitude to the passers-by who alerted us and stayed above the casualty and to the local Gamekeeper who provided expert local knowledge for access and support of the operation.”
