Charlotte Flaherty and her daughter Rosa are delighted to have Smithfield collie Hero back in their arms after he fell down a cliff below Prospect Park in Dunedin yesterday. Photos by Peter McIntosh. : Cliffhanger for collie Hero

Hero, the 7-year-old Smithfield collie, waits to be rescued from tree branches halfway down a 30m cliff in Dunedin yesterday. : Cliffhanger for collie Hero

Willowbank Firefighters Tony Gyde (top, centre) and Alan McNeill rescue Hero from tree branches on a cliff below Prospect Park. : Cliffhanger for collie Hero

Hero is carried to safety by Mr McNeill : Cliffhanger for collie Hero