Heroic Wightlink staff rescue exhausted dog swimming half a mile out to sea
Early Sunday morning drama at Ryde Pier as Wightlink staff sprang into action to save a struggling Labrador swimming miles from shore. At 7am, three quick-thinking workers – Scott Harvey, Mike Parsons and Dave Prangnell – spotted the exhausted dog and coaxed him safely back behind the pier.
Dog dragged to safety by scruff of neck
Mike Parsons grabbed the soaked pooch, named Bertie, by the scruff and hauled him up the steps by the Costa 1 shop. Poor Bertie quickly recovered in the warm ticket office with staff fussing over him while they traced his owner on social media.
“You don’t expect to see a dog in the sea early on a Sunday morning,” said Scott Harvey. “We were lucky to find him when we did. We gave him some biscuits, he ran around the ticket office a bit, then fell asleep.”
Owner grateful after close call with death
Bertie’s owner, Rob Gale from Ryde, was out cockling on Ryde Beach when his nine-month-old pup ran off chasing seagulls and swam out into deep water.
“I was whistling for him but the sounds echoed under the pier, so he couldn’t hear me and kept swimming further out,” Rob explained. “The Wightlink guys formed a human chain to get him. I honestly think he might have drowned if they hadn’t rescued him.”
Eyewitness stunned by dog’s plight
Customer Jae Henderson, who made the initial discovery, was waiting for a ferry when he heard strange noises coming from under the pier.
“I was amazed to see a dog swimming so far out to sea. The Wightlink staff did a brilliant job getting him out. I’m just glad this story has a happy ending.”
