Dog rescued from rocks at Cockenzie
Kinghorn RNLI Lifeboat’s volunteer crew was called out on Monday morning to rescue a spaniel dog stranded on rocks at the former Cockenzie Power Station.
UK Coastguard requested assistance around 9am following a report of a dog in the water after it had fallen over the seawall at the power station site. The fire service and North Berwick coastguard rescue team were already on scene and requested assistance from the lifeboat.
On arrival onscene it was decided that the best solution was for a crewmember to swim ashore to the rocks to try and catch the dog.
Helm, Neil Chalmers said, ‘We arrived to find the dog apparently uninjured and moving around the rock armour boulders at the base of the 3m high sea wall. A crewmember swam ashore as it was too rough to get the boat safely close to the rocks. The dog took a while to trust us but after 25minutes, we were able to get a lead on the dog and put it into the coastguard’s dog rescue pouch. The dog was then hoisted back to dry land and reunited with its owner.
‘The dog’s owners did exactly the right thing by calling for help rather than attempting to rescue the dog themselves.’
If you see anyone in trouble on the coast call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. UK Coastguard has a multitude of resources they can call on, including RNLI lifeboats.
Notes to editors
- Kinghorn lifeboat station has been operating since 1965. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to www.rnli.org.uk/kinghorn
- A video of an Atlantic 85 lifeboat can be viewed at http://www.rnli.org.uk/who_we_are/press_centre/videos/video_detail?articleid=321844&category=®ion=&listing
- A video of the call is available here: https://rnli.getbynder.com/asset/61c3bcc3-a723-4502-8046-d22a2ab5ce1f/mp4/Kinghorn-RNLI-rescues-dog.mp4
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Neil Chalmers, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07767 380274
Natasha Bennett, Regional Communications Manager on 07826 900639 or [email protected]
Martin Macnamara, Regional Communications Lead on 07920 365929 or [email protected]
Tom McGuire, Regional Communications Manager for Scotland and Ireland on [email protected]
RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.