Dexter the dog is rescued after falling in a quarry near Barming

by Chris Hunter

Daredevil skydiver Felix Baumgarter got cold feet before his 23-mile record breaking leap this week, but not Dexter the dog.

While Austrian pilot Baumgarter was still stroking his chin and worrying about weather conditions in New Mexico, Dexter had no qualms in leaping straight over the side of an 80ft deep quarry near Barming.

The reckless three-year-old crossbreed has owner Jason Ensinger to thank for his survival - not to mention a big dose of luck and the expertise of firefighters.

Having landed on a ledge 50ft from the quarry bottom, Dexter began to panic during the rescue operation - so fire crews attached Mr Ensinger to a rope and sent him down the side of the cliff to aid the rescue.

The drama began on Sunday lunchtime, when Dexter ran off under a fence surrounding the quarry while walking with his owner near Hermitage Lane and Oakapple Lane.

A crew from Larkfield was sent to the scene, but was unable to get to Dexter - so Kent Fire and Rescue Service's specialist line rescue team was called.

But as station manager Dean Firmin explained, it then fell to 43-year-old Mr Ensinger - an automatic door engineer from Springwood Road, Barming - to step unto the breach.

"A firefighter was lowered down, but he then had trouble trying to get the dog," said Mr Firmin. "It was becoming increasingly anxious and trying to escape so we were starting to worry that it could fall off the ledge.

"Following a suggestion by Jason, we then gave him a harness and clipped him onto our firefighter."

The father-of-three said he felt perfectly safe being lowered down but had been terrified to see his dog at risk.

Jason Ensinger and his pet Dexter, who fell into a quarry

"It was scary," said Mr Ensinger. "At one point it looked like Dexter was going to jump over the edge.

"As soon as I was lowered down he came to me and I was able to clip him to my harness."

He praised firefighters, adding: "The fire crews were fantastic and I know people would say, 'What's the fuss, he's just a pet?' but he's more than that and we're so very thankful that they managed to help."