Dog Rescued by Holyhead Lifeboat Crew
A dog in distress along the Holyhead coast led to the first call out of the year for the town’s lifeboat crew.
The RNLI inshore lifeboat and three volunteer crew answered a call at 3.20pm on Tuesday (January 2nd) It was reported that a small dog had fallen from Holyhead Breakwater.
The D-class vessel was launched immediately and sped to the scene, where the dog’s owner was able to alert the crew to the whereabouts of her canine companion. They were joined at the scene by the Holyhead volunteer coastguard rescue team.
One of the lifeboat crew, who was fully equipped in a drysuit and lifejacket, entered the water, and managed to grab the dog and get onto the lifeboat and safely ashore to the waiting coastguard team and her owner.
The elderly jack russell terrier was checked over before being handed to the relieved and grateful owner. The lifeboat returned to station at 3.50pm.
Holyhead lifeboat crew member Ian James, who is the station’s mechanic, said the owner had done the right thing in calling the coastguard and not trying to rescue the dog herself. He said the dog was shaken but otherwise unharmed, and the low tide meant she had been able to recover herself onto a bank of seaweed and stay there until she was rescued.
The RNLI urges dogwalkers to be cautious and keep dogs on leads near the coast, and to phone 999 and ask for the coastguard if a dog gets into difficulties.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.