At 4pm on Thursday, September 8, RNLI Rye Harbour was tasked by HM Coastguard to assist a male casualty in the river who had got into difficulties when he had gone into the water to save his dog. The man was hanging onto railings whilst also hanging on to his dog.
As it was so close to the station the lifeboat crew attended on foot, making for a speedier rescue. There was a good turn-out of crew, all with first class casualty care training.
The lifeguards from Camber assisted the recovery and both the gentleman and the dog were brought to safety.
The RNLI advises everyone to remain on shore when their dog is in difficulty in the water, to ring 999 and request help from the coastguard. This is the safest option, as people often underestimate tides which can be very strong.
Image Credits: John Hornig .