A dramatic rescue operation off the Northumberland coast saved a beloved dog after he drifted three miles out to sea on an inflatable kayak.
The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon near Bamburgh, where Alsatian Bruce had been enjoying the waves at the shoreline.
His owner had placed him in a kayak and was swimming alongside when a sudden gust of wind swept the craft away from shore.
The desperate owner immediately alerted authorities as Bruce floated further into open water.
Coastguards launched a lifeboat in response, though it was ultimately a local tour boat crew who reached the stranded animal first.
Jimmy Reid, the Australian captain of Serenity Farne Islands Boat Tours, and crewmate Aaron Fordy received the coastguard’s radio alert while heading back to port following a passenger excursion to the Farne Islands.
By this point, Bruce’s owner had attempted to chase the drifting kayak by swimming after it but was forced to abandon the effort and return to shore.
Mr Reid later acknowledged this was the correct decision, noting: “It could easily have been a multi-casualty thing if he had kept going.”
Aaron (left), Jimmy Reid (centre) and Bruce’s owner after he was rescued
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SERENITY FARNE ISLAND BOAT TOURS
The tour boat crew immediately diverted to assist, locating Bruce still aboard the inflatable kayak several miles offshore.
The rescue operation quickly turned, as Mr Reid positioned the vessel beside the kayak while Mr Fordy attempted to retrieve the frightened dog.
As they tried to secure a harness around Bruce, the terrified animal wriggled free and fell into the cold North Sea.
In a split-second reaction, Mr Fordy lunged downward and seized Bruce by the scruff of his neck.
The force of grabbing the drenched dog nearly dragged the crewman overboard, but Mr Reid acted swiftly, grasping his colleague’s legs and hauling both man and animal to safety aboard the tour boat.
Mr Reid said: “My emotions definitely got the better of me when I finally spotted Bruce in the boat.
Bruce the Alsatian drifted off Bamburgh coast after a sudden gust of wind
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SERENITY FARNE ISLAND BOAT TOURS
“I had a heart-wrenching fear the dog was going to go in the water and stay there. When we actually got him on board and knew he was safe and knew the hard bit was over, we were both ecstatic.
“If he hadn’t grabbed him like that it would have been the end of any sort of rescue effort.”
Bruce was suffering from hypothermia after the ordeal.
The crew wrapped him in towels to restore his body temperature before sailing to Seahouses Harbour, where the shaken but safe dog was reunited with his relieved owner.