A man and his dog were rescued after getting stranded at the bottom of the cliff at Whitburn.
Emergency services were called to reports that a dog had gone over the cliff edge at 'The Wherry' at 11.33am on Sunday.
Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team also understood the dog's owner was attempting to rescue his pet by climbing down the cliff face.
Sunderland RNLI's inshore lifeboat was launched with a volunteer crew arriving at the scene shortly after to find the man and his dog at the base of the cliff.
However, they had become trapped on a rock by the incoming tide.
The volunteer crew carried out a procedure known as veering, where the lifeboat is reversed towards the rocks while using the anchor to stop being washed onto the rocks.
The man and his dog were both recovered into the lifeboat and taken to shore where the casualty was provided with care and warm clothing.
Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team has issued a warning to members of the public to remain on the correct side of safety barriers along the cliff top to avoid a repeat of the incident.
A spokesman said: "When we arrived on scene there were a large amount of spectators on the wrong side of the railings not far away from the cliff edge, some with dogs still off their lead.
"This incident was brought to a positive conclusion but let us remind anyone who may frequent our coast that the safety railings are there for a reason and we cant stress enough that dogs should be kept on a leash around cliffs to provide incidents like this from reoccurring."
