Coastguards had to summon a police launch to rescue Tessa

Five-year-old Tessa was being walked by owners Alan and Jill Mitchell near Old Harry Rocks in Dorset, when she raced off into the undergrowth.

It was only a few minutes later when she did not return that the Mitchells realised she must have plunged down the sheer cliff to the beach below.

After calling 999, an anxious wait followed before Tessa was checked out by a vet who confirmed that her only injury was a bruised leg.

We pushed through the undergrowth and saw the edge of this cliff and I just felt awful - then I heard her whimpering. Jill Mitchell

The couple, from Harrow, north London, were out walking with Mrs Mitchell's sister on Sunday afternoon, with whom they were staying in Broadstone, Dorset.

Jill Mitchell told BBC News Online: "We were on a lane with heavy undergrowth, so didn't know that we were near a cliff edge.

"She shot off into the undergrowth - I assume she caught the scent of something.

"When she didn't come back my sister said: 'She must have gone over the cliff' and I just thought she couldn't have done.

"We pushed through the undergrowth and saw the edge of this cliff and I just felt awful - then I heard her whimpering.

"My husband ran around and could see her staggering around on the beach - over 90 feet down."

We get a lot of dogs going over cliffs - especially in the summer, quite often they chase after rabbits and just can't stop Coastguard spokesman

It was impossible to get down to the cove from the top of the cliff, so coastguards summoned a police launch to pick Tessa up and bring her further down the coast.

"We took her straight to a vet, who was waiting on standby - we were so worried that the vet would just have to put her down", she said.

When the vet told them nothing was broken, the couple were so surprised they took Tessa to another vet to get a second opinion.

Mrs Mitchell said it was incredible how she survived: "She's still walking with a limp and quite groggy, but otherwise she's fine."

A spokesman for Portland Coastguard said: "We get a lot of dogs going over cliffs - especially in the summer, quite often they chase after rabbits and just can't stop.

"She was incredibly lucky to land on the seaweed - it's the kind with air bubbles in so it acted like a kind of shock absorber."