A 12-YEAR-old girl today thanked the coastguard after her adventurous dog found itself at the centre of a dramatic rescue.Grace Phillips had been walking her dog Dexter with a friend along Felixstowe seafront when the Border Collie ventured between some large rocks which form the town's sea defences and got stuck.

A 12-YEAR-old girl today thanked the coastguard after her adventurous dog found itself at the centre of a dramatic rescue.

Grace Phillips had been walking her dog Dexter with a friend along Felixstowe seafront when the Border Collie ventured between some large rocks which form the town's sea defences and got stuck.

Five-year-old Dexter had squeezed through a gap in the rocks but gone so far in he could not turn around or back out.

Grace, a student at Deben High who lives in Cobbold Road, Felixstowe, said: “We went along the beach and Dexter was following us. We let him off the lead because he is well-behaved.

“We went down the stairs to the beach and we thought Dexter was behind us but after a while we heard him barking and we couldn't see him.

“We went back and went along the rocks and saw his tail. He was wedged under a big rock.”

The drama unfolded just after 4pm on Tuesday near Cobbold Point opposite The Fludyers Arms. Soon after a passer-by called the coastguard while Grace kept the dog calm and within 15 minutes officers from Thames Coastguard had arrived and begun the effort to free him.

Firefighters were put on standby in case heavy lifting equipment was needed to move some of the weighty rocks.

Grace, who takes Dexter for a walk every day after school, said: “The Coastguard came and looked at Dexter. They started seeing if they could shift some of the rocks out of the way.

“They put a long crow bar under the stone and they started wedging it over. When Dexter was half way out we were able to pull him out.

“When he got out he was dancing around and running to the people from the Coastguard.”

Dexter escaped unharmed from the ordeal and has returned to lazing about the family's home.

Today Grace was full of praise for the coastguards who rescued her dog. She said: “One of the coastguards was really nice, he stayed with Dexter. They all helped us quite a lot.”

And Grace's parents Teresa and Mark Phillips also thanked the coastguards for saving their hapless pet.

Mrs Phillips said: “They came so promptly and they were so nice about it.

“We were sitting there wondering where she was and she came in a bit upset and said she'd just had to call the Coastguard.”

But the couple said they were concerned if Dexter could fit through gaps in the rocks the area may not be safe for children.

Mrs Phillips said: “As a mother you think about small children and they do climb on those rocks. It only takes a mother to turn away and a child could slip down there and it could be quite nasty.”