SPRIG the springer spaniel found himself in the limelight this week after miraculously surviving for nine days trapped on a rocky ledge at the foot of the highest sea cliffs in England. The nine-year-old dog disappeared while on a walk around Foreland Point in North Devon with his owners, the Sanders family from Wheddon Cross, on August 22. Heartbroken, Mark and Susie Sanders and their four children launched a massive search for their much-loved pet - on the ground, through social media and with a poster campaign in pubs and businesses. But nothing was heard of Sprig until he was spotted by the crew of Minehead's Atlantic 85 class boat while on exercise close to Foreland Point on Sunday morning. They had taken the boat close into the cliffs after noticing a sheep which was apparently trapped and were turning away when a movement some way below caught their eye. Helmsman Andrew Escott said: "We went in as close as we could and then we could see it was a dog. "It was about 30 feet above the water and we couldn't work out how it had got into that position." Mr Escott jumped ashore and climbed up to Sprig, while Minehead's D-class boat - designed for working close inshore - was called in to help so the dog could be lowered down safely. "He had clearly been there for some time because he was licking water off my dry suit," said Mr Escott. "And he did seem rather pleased to see us." Sprig was taken home by Mr Escott and given food and water, and it was only later in the day when another crew member went to a pub in Porlock and saw one of the posters put up by the family that it became clear he had been the focus of a major search. The call the family never expected to receive was taken by Mrs Sanders. Eldest son Robert, 23, said he realised something had happened when he saw his mother's reaction. "She sort of sat upright and there were tears in her eyes. "We had given up hope of finding him after all that time and hearing nothing. "We never expected him to be found in that area because we'd scoured it on the day he went missing and the following day." But the family can only surmise as to what happened to Sprig: "He was close by my mother and my younger brother and sister and was sniffing around in the undergrowth," said Robert. "Then all of a sudden he wasn't there. They called him and stayed searching for four hours until it got dark. We all went back the following day but there was just no sign of him anywhere." In addition to the poster and social media campaign, local fishing boats and an animal ambulance team from North Devon had checked along the shoreline. "We can only assume that he was chasing something and just kept running over the edge of the cliff," said Robert. "It was quite out of character for him to disappear - it isn't something he usually does. "We think the ledge that he was found on may have broken his fall. He was phenomenally dehydrated but incredibly he had no broken limbs. "Luckily it rained so he would have been able to get a bit of water - if it hadn't, I don't think he would have survived." Robert said the moment the family was reunited with Sprig was emotional for everyone: "We went to pick him up from Mr Escott's house and he was standing at the top of the stairs. "He looked at us for a moment and then just went berserk - if a dog can be 'dogsmacked', that's what he was. "It was so fantastic to see him. It's just amazing he was found and that's he's OK. "He's very tired and he doesn't want to go far from us but apart from that he's fine." And Mrs Sanders said: "I just could not believe it when we had a call to say the lifeboat crew had spotted him and rescued him. It's amazing - the best news ever. Bless them." Sprig is confined to the family farm while he recuperates - and the family has pledged to keep him on a lead on future walks further afield. Photos: Somerset Photo News.