Dog owner thanks RNLI and members of public after Whitby harbour rescue

A man was rescued by the Whitby lifeboat after entering the water in the town’s harbour on Friday night to try to save a dog.

The RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was launched after the man attempted to rescue a dog which had got into difficulty. The dog, named Flash, was caught by another member of the public after making its way to shallow water at Tate Hill sands, while the man was rescued by the lifeboat.

Dog owner Zoe Wyatt wrote on Facebook: “Flash would like to thank everyone for their concerns yesterday! He is fine this morning after a good night’s sleep and dry off!

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"A huge thank you to Whiby RNLI and coastguards who were supportive as soon as we rang them and through to being able to retrieve Flash from them on shore! These men and ladies are amazing!”

The Whitby RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched after a man entered the water to attempt to rescue a dog in distress.The Whitby RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched after a man entered the water to attempt to rescue a dog in distress.
The Whitby RNLI inshore lifeboat was launched after a man entered the water to attempt to rescue a dog in distress.

She added that they had been in touch with both the man who entered the water to rescue Flash as well as the woman who retrieved the dog. “We are truely grateful to everyone involved,” she wrote.

Jonathan Marr who was one of the volunteer crew onboard said: “We would like to thank the member of the public who acted quickly to throw the casualty a life ring and alert the Coastguard. We were able to launch quickly and retrieve the casualty from the water.

“At this time of year the water is very cold and cold water shock can set in quickly.

“We urge anyone not to enter the water after an animal, in most cases it will make its own way to safety. Approaching an animal in distress can lead to injury.”

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