Pet rescues for RNLI as dog and cats are brought safely to shore

Footage has been released of Dunbar’s RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew coming to the rescue of a dog that was stranded on rocks during a beach walk last week.

Flat-coated retriever Fergus had jumped into the sea at Ravensheugh Beach near Tyninghame around 2:30pm. After repeated attempts by his owner to reach the dog, the alarm was raised.

Within 20 minutes, the volunteer crew were on scene and, with assistance from coastguard teams from Dunbar and North Berwick on the shore, spotted Fergus stuck some distance out on rocks.

“Fergus had managed to clamber onto rocks but by the time we arrived had clearly been in the water for some time and was looking tired and scared,” says ILB helm, Gordon Kirkham.

“He was initially wary of us but became friendlier the more he got used to us.

“He was wary of the boat though and we had to physically lift him aboard. We took him ashore on the lifeboat but even with his owner there he was reluctant to get out. We even tried to coax him with biscuits.

“Eventually we lifted him out and he was reunited with his very relieved owner. It was good to see him walk off, back on the lead, none the worse for his ordeal.”

Fergus and his owner, who were visiting East Lothian and staying nearby, were walking with a friend and another dog when the incident happened.

“The owner did the right thing in asking for help and not risking their own safety attempting to recover the dog themselves,” Kirkham says.

At the other end of the country, Hayling RNLI Lifeboat rescued cats from a sinking catamaran.

The 34ft catamaran was moored in Chichester Harbour. On arrival, the RNLI found the port hull already flooded and, despite having a salvage pump on the lifeboat, there was little that could be done until low water (some six hours later). The skipper and his two cats were taken to safety ashore.

The skipper decided to return the following day and see if he could cure the leak at low tide. Sadly, by then the whole boat had flooded and so repairs on the mooring were not possible.