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Dog from Chelmsford survives 40-foot fall from cliff

DOVER (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) A 5-year-old dog is recovering at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain after falling down a 40-foot cliff in Dover.

Medical Center officials tell FOX 25 that "Sammy" the dog was on a hike with his owner's brother-in-law and his dog in the Noanet Woods in Dover when the accident happened. The dog reportedly ran off and was found by his owner's brother-in-law at the bottom of the cliff.

The brother-in-law climbed to the bottom of the cliff, but called Dover Police when he realized he couldn't carry the dog back up the cliff by himself. Emergency personnel put the dog on a sled to carry him back up the cliff and the brother-in-law tried to drive him home.

As he was being driven home, Sammy's health took a turn for the worse. His owner's took him to the emergency room at Angell where doctors ran tests.

The test results were alarming. Sammy suffered a rupture to his lung, which made it hard for him to breathe. The impact of the fall also forced parts of his intestines into his chest cavity.

"Sammy's injuries are of the type we normally see when dogs are struck by fast-moving cars.  They are very serious and could easily have killed him," says one doctor who treated Sammy.

Sammy underwent surgery and is expected to recover. The pooch is expected to return home to Chelmsford on Friday.