A stranded dog has been rescued from thick mud by a member of Burnham-On-Sea Sailing Club after the animal became stuck next to the club’s pontoons on Friday, prompting Coastguards to issue safety advice discouraging the public from carrying out such rescues.
Graham Wills, a long-time Burnham boat owner and a former Burnham RNLI Chairman, saw the struggling dog in distress on Friday lunchtime (July 9th).
Wearing a pair of shorts and, with a safety rope held by a fellow Sailing Club member, he slid out across the mud to reach the muddy West Highland Terrier, before bringing it back to the safety of the beach, much to the relief of the owner.
Graham says: “I definitely would not recommend that anyone else tries this unless they have extensive local knowledge of the mud and the coastline here – it can be very dangerous.”
He adds: “The dog was distressed and there were quite a few people on the beach getting anxious who might have tried to go in. A person came into the boatyard to ask if any of us could help.”
“I took a look and the dog was initially down near the low water mark, close to the pontoons. We planned to get the tractor out with long ropes and a dinghy to reach it but while we were setting up, the dog managed to struggle in the mud towards the beach but it was flagging and was at risk of drowning.”
He adds: “I know that area of mud very well because we’ve carried out dredging very recently there, so I put my RNLI training and years of local knowledge of this estuary into action and, while attached to a rope, slid down to the dog, spreading my weight across the mud. I grabbed hold of the dog and brought him back to the beach where both of us had a washdown.”
“I would stress that I’d never recommend that anyone else does anything like this unless they have the same extensive local knowledge of this estuary. I was just mindful that the owner or another person on the beach would have likely tried to go in and put themselves in danger, which would have been dangerous. The owner was really relieved to have his dog returned safely.”
Burnham-On-Sea Coastguards, who were called out during the rescue, but stood down when the dog was safe again, say self-rescues should not be undertaken.
A spokesman says: “As we arrived on station and were about to set off we had a second report that the dog was back to safety. What we didn’t realise is that a local boat owner had put himself in unnecessary danger by wading out to the dog through thick mud.”
“We understand that people see an animal in a predicament and instantly want to help but by placing themselves in danger they are potentially making the situation a whole lot worse. We have the equipment and training to keep everyone safe and not risk becoming a further casualty.”
“Our advice is always the same… keep back, keep safe, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguards.”
“A high percentage of people who enter into these situations sadly become more of a casualty than the person or animal they are trying to help. We want everyone to be safe and the best way to do that is to follow the simple instructions above.”
“We urge anyone who is tempted to enter the mud or water to help, just to stop and take a second to calm yourself and take the right actions.”
“Coastguard Head Office advice is that while open spaces at the coast are ideal for dog walking, please keep furry friends on a lead and if your pet does get into danger by getting stuck on a ledge, in mud, or being swept out to sea, do not attempt to self-rescue or enter the water after your pet. Most dogs make it back safely but you might not. Please call 999 Coastguard and ask for our specialist assistance.”
In a second, unrelated, incident at Brean earlier in the day, Coastguards and Burnham RNLI were called out when a man and a dog were reported to be in the sea. But they managed to get in safely and the crews were stood down.
