Littlehampton RNLI lifeguards rescue two dogs in one morning
Wednesday morning was a busy one for the lifeguards at Littlehampton East, as they rushed on two separate occasions to rescue two dogs trapped on the same shingle bank by the River Arun, one of the fastest running rivers in England.
The river runs into the sea at Littlehampton East, a sand and pebble beach that stretches out over one mile. At around 10am the first dog fell from the promenade onto the shingle bank, which is encircled by the river. Lifeguards mounted the rescue board and, after establishing that the dog was unharmed, returned it to its waiting owners onshore.
The second rescue was at 12:25pm, with another dog falling from the same promenade onto the same bank. The lifeguards launched their inshore rescue boat and the rescue board to try and reach the animal, but it managed to jump back onto the promenade without harming itself.
Hannah, the RNLI lifeguard who went out on the rescue board, said: ‘It’s not often that we have two rescues in one day, much less identical ones! All of us lifeguards train and work to make this one of the best services available. We’d always rather rescue a pet than see the owners risking their safety and we hope people will alert us or phone 999 and ask for the Coastguard if a human – or animal life is at risk. At the end of the day, we want everyone to enjoy the beach and go home safely. ’
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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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