| Sadly, nothing could be done for Robbie by the time help reached him, Gordon Leslie, from Whitfield, told the Evening Telegraph.
Mr Leslie was walking his five dogs with a friend at an area near Ethiebeaton, by Monifieth, when he noticed Robbie was missing.
With mounting dread, he looked over the edge and saw Robbie lying on loose stones at the foot of the rock face.
His friend had to dissuade him from trying to climb down to his pet and, by the time they drove round to the quarry, Robbie’s body had been found by a workman.
“I knew the quarry was there — I just didn’t realise it was so close to where we were,” said Mr Leslie.
He believed Robbie might have lost his footing if the rock crumbled beneath him.
“I don’t think we’ll ever know exactly what happened, but I don’t think Robbie was stupid enough to go running off the edge,” he explained.
“He wasn’t right beside us when it happened. He went over about 100 metres from where we were walking the other dogs.
“You try to make things safe for your dogs, but on the other hand you want them to be able to run about free and do what comes naturally to them,” he went on.
“He wasn’t an old dog.
He was just four, and the only consolation, really, is that he was doing what he loved — running about.”
Mr Leslie said he had not realised how perilous that area could be, adding that the nearby road is also a serious hazard for dogs.
He will be avoiding it in the future, and advised other dog-owners to do the same.
“The fact is, it is a horribly dangerous place for dogs. But if you do have dogs off the lead there, it is important you have visual contact with them at all times and are able to call them back instantly.
“Otherwise, don’t go there.”
The quarry is run by Ennstone Thistle, whose chief executive, Alan Mackenzie, expressed his regret at the accident.
He explained the area is fenced off and the dangers are well sign-posted.
“Unfortunately, dogs can’t read, and if they are chasing a rabbit they lose all sense of themselves,” said Mr Mackenzie.
“It is obviously a tragic thing to happen, but dogs and quarries don’t go together.
“We are very sorry that this has happened, but it is thankfully very rare.” |
