Molly’s Seaside Adventure: More Heroics from the Coastguard!

10 Jun 08

Graeme Hetherington of the Northern Echo (UK) reported yesterday on the mis/adventures of Molly, an English bull terrier. Molly and her two-legged companion were visiting Redcar beach when Molly got it in her bull terrier head to swim into the sea after a favourite ball.

Not one to give up on a ball chase, as the wind and tide carried the ball farther and farther out to sea, Molly carried on with her determined pursuit, and soon ended up a very long way from the beach near the boating lake at Coatham….

Molly’s two-legged, worried, raised the alarm by ringing the coastguard. In no time at all the Redcar RNLI lifeboat was launched by volunteer helmsman Mark Reeves.

Mr Reeves noted that the lifeguard are usually called out to rescue two-leggeds, but admitted it wasn’t the first time they’ve been asked to rescue a hound. “I have a dog myself so I can understand how Molly’s owner must have been feeling and we’re glad to help out.”

And you wouldn’t believe it! They first recovered Molly’s ball, then shepherded Molly back to the beach to her very relieved two-legged. SuperWoof to those intrepid coastguards!

Dave Cocks, another lifeboat coastguard who was involved as ‘deputy launching authority’ said that “The greatest danger in these circumstances is that the owner tries to rescue their dog and then get into difficulties. That’s why the RNLI responses to these calls. In 999 times out of 1,000 the dog manages to get back to shore unharmed, but there are many examples of pet owners losing their lives while trying to carry out a rescue.”

At the end of last month, coastguard officers dealt with two similar incidents. A brown mixed-breed dog named Rufus was swept out to sea at Whitby. Not all rescues end as happily as Molly’s, and tragically, despite the efforts of the Whitby inshore coastguard crew, Rufus the dog was swept farther out to sea.

Crews also successfully rescued a grey-hound-lurcher cross from cliffs close to Souter Lighthouse, South Shields, South Tyneside.

All of which makes me want to say — ‘I told you water was bad!’ But for all those dogs out there that simply can’t resist getting in the water, let’s all howl a big long SuperWoof to the Volunteer Lifeboat Coastguards that do so much good work on all edges of this little Island called Great Britain.

Awoof! Archie