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Had sons 2 girls for the weekend whilst he and d.i.l. were away recceing a section of the West Highland Way he is running next weekend.
Saturday was a really nice, warm day so we took the girls to one of our local “beaches” they hadn’t been to before. As they were playing on the Sands/rocks etc we became aware of a dog outvon the water. The water on question being the Solway, a 2 tides a day area. The tide comes in fast and furious. The owner was calling on the dog but it seemed to be oblivious. The tide was rising and the dog was or appeared to be still heading outwards, away from the shore line. Just as I got up to go to speak to the owner/lady she began to call for assistance/help. As I approached she had called the coastguard as had another lady. The “other” lady however was not familiar with the area and as I approached her she asked for advice assistance. I took her phone and between us advised the coastguard of the issue. They advised that they had put out an alert and we just had to wait and not to allow anyone to enter the water, something I knew from having trained in RLSS many, many years ago and read about the many , many instances of people perishing doing so. Having lived near the Solway and having it drummed into us as kids never to go onto the Sands or enter the water by our parents it was a given..... There were a few bystanders however who were irrate that no one was going on after the dog, the owner however was well aware of why and told one or two why in no uncertain words. As much as she was upset I managed to help keep her calm and we tried our best to keep the dog within our sights along the rocky coastline. The dog travelled maybe 1/2 to 1ml being dragged along by the tide.
Just as the Glencaple inshore rescue appeared around the corner the dog wash “washed” into the shore and 3 guys managed to drag him ashore just before we arrived on the scene.
Its one of those scenarios where you always wonder what would you do in that situation?????
This one ended well
Moral of the story being, always check the tide times and speak to locals about any local issues
There were a few bystanders however who were irate that no one was going on after the dog
They wanted someone else to go in, I take it?
Sounds like it was a good job there were locals around who knew and could advise those who didn't. I have found many people from inland think the sea and estuaries are like big swimming pools.
The water would be about 9 degrees.. average swimmer would be in trouble in about 3 or 4 minutes. At serious risk of drowning another minute or 2 later. It happens very quickly in cold water..
I love my dog. However he'd be on his own on this one. The number of times you read about the owner/bystander perishing and the dog surviving anyway is all too common.
How differently do people view this of you replace "dog" with "child"?
How differently do people view this of you replace “dog” with “child”?
Good point.....if it was child,I'd not bother the emergency services.Teach the little bugger a lesson.
If it were a child i'd be in there in a shot...
No questions.
I'm a very competent swimmer, and TBH, simply couldn't watch a child descend into that situation without helping.
DrP
Dog? Child? Nah. A fiver though that dropped out of my pocket and blew away?
Onzadog
How differently do people view this of you replace “dog” with “child”?
I don't think the "what if" in the OP's title was "What if this was a completely different scenario to the one described!"
Dog does not equal human.
Dez...but what if it was the nuclear launch button, connected to a ballcock, then if the tide rose before you got to it, it would launch every single warhead leading to total world destruction.
What if...
Think about it...
DrP
Dog does not equal human.
That's my point, to some people they do. We have a dog but don't have kids. I'm an experienced open water swimmer and a stronger swimmer than my dog. There's a good chance I'd have gone in after her. (aware of the risk/danger).
9°C. A child less than 50m out I could get to in under a minute and get out in under four. So if there was no alternative I'd go in. An adult it would have to be less than 30m and I'd think twice (more likely to face a struggle or find yourself ruining a suicide, and too slow to drag out). A dog, no chance, not even in warm water.
Had to get both my boys back to shore after they were caught in an under tow/rip,frightening,still get the shivers thinking about what could have been. Dog or any other no human,no chance.
I’m an experienced open water swimmer and a stronger swimmer than my dog.
So another totally different scenario from the OP found himself in. It would be like me saying, “I’m rarely on a beach without my sit on top kayak, and buoyancy aid”.
All the advice is to not go in, after a dog or a child - easier for the services to deal with one incident than two - but like DrP* I'm still not sure i could stand by and watch.
* he sounds like a stronger swimmer than me, but I'm quite fat so i reckon i could survive in cold water for days just bobbing around (as long as no Japanese fishing vessels are nearby)
This place is getting very weird. If we're restricting responses to only those who share the exact detailed scenario as the OP, it would limit the thread to just the OP. In which case, why would the OP bother posting.
No wonder there are other threads berating th decline of the forum.
So if it had been a child and it had been while I was walking along the beach in Seaton with Madame a few days ago.
1 Tell Madame to spot the kid, and don't look away for an instant. Look for anything that floats or might be of use, nothing, oh well, looks like it's time for a dip
2 start stripping bottom half explaining to Madame to indicate right/left and out/in but keep pointing with one hand
3 take small water bottle out of bag, empty contents over head, screw cap back on and stuff down boxers
4 get in to knee depth, finish stripping
5 wade out slowly, spotting, splashing to provoke exterior circulation shut down and hopefully avoid hydrocution
6 at chest depth do a final spot and mental state self appraisal then aim and swim counting strokes for distance spotting every ten or so.
Time to go swimming now, I swim 2-3 times a week but would hate to have to make a decsiion about a rescue in cold water.
The Solway is a nasty one.
When I was 11 my family visited relatives stationed at a forces base there (can't remember the name) .
My uncle decided to take my father and I over the sands for a walk... we ended up wading back to shore, with the water up to my waist and still rising fast. What made it riskier was the areas of quicksands, undetectable once under water.
Never again.
It wouldn't have been a problem for me.
I was the SAS Regimental open water dog rescuing champion 18 years in a row.
Quite an achievement for a one eyed, triple amputee.
I swim like a brick so it's a no from me.
What if it was the cold sea, but a hot spring?
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hope-springs-eternal/
What if it wasn't the cold sea, but a volcano eruption?
etbleedincetera
..a stronger swimmer than my dog.
Man stronger than tidal currents. Ug.
what does the coastguard think about having to rescue dogs?
[i] If we’re restricting responses to only those who share the exact detailed scenario as the OP[/i]
OK, I apologise. So, if it wasn't a dog, but a child, for those who don't have children, but do have a dog.
1:
Dog: "Woof"
Dad: "Don't go in the water, the tide is strong you will drown"
Dog: "Woof" , runs and jumps in sea, gets dragged out. Dies.
2:
Child: "Dad, can I go swimming"
Dad: "Don't go in the water, the tide is strong you will drown"
Child: "Oh, ok. Can I have a icecweem instead"
Dad: "Yes, let us go and buy one"
Dad and child happily stroll to the nearest icecream vendor and live to tell the tale.
The coastguard would rather rescue a dog than rescue a person who goes in after a dog
The Solway is a nasty one.
When I was 11 my family visited relatives stationed at a forces base there (can’t remember the name) .
That'll prob be the Army range at Dundrennan nr Kirkcudbright, The tides round this area catch folk out every year due to the speed they come in at
Dog and kid both drown. Then drown the parents to stop idiots breeding. I feel sorry for the dog though.
Dogs have a pretty bloody strong survival instinct eg. How many times do you hear “dog falls through ice, owner goes to rescue & drowns, dog gets out on its own...”
A girl my wife used to work with jumped in a river in spate after her dog, her husband jumped in after her. Both perished, leaving an 18 month old baby in the pram by the riverbank, a bloody tragedy, heartbreaking stuff. The dog managed to get itself out.
Living on the coast, it absolutely does my tits in how people seem to allow their dogs the freedom of the beach, running miles away, and are completely unaware of the dangers, whether the dog is behaving or not with other dogs/people and have absolutely no way of recalling the ****in thing. Oh, and it's awrite for the dog to shite on the beach too, as it'll be washed away in a few hours.
whankers.
I rescued a fat Labrador on the Holme Beach sandbank. Was ok swimming out but the damn dog nearly drowned me on the way back. Dogs are morons and try and climb on you to survive.
Absolutely no way I’d go in after a dog after that experience, you’re not rescuing a compliant person. It’s a potentially large heavy panicked animal with spiky bits.
There are too many drowning news stories that end with "...the dog survived" - often "kid went in after dog, parent went in after the kid". It always struck me that the dog would pretty much clamber on top of you, inadvertently drowning you.
That said, what I'd do in theory, from the comfort of a computer screen, and what I'd do if my dumb hound was out there, are probably two different things...
I can't swim, both my kids (aged 7+10) are weak swimmers despite loads of lessons - however they do like going in the sea.
I have always worried about what would happen if they got into trouble, so we have a few rules -
under no circumstances do they go in at dodgy/dangerous beaches, never more than <span style="text-decoration: underline;">their</span> waist deep, and never out of our eye sight.
As for dogs - keep it on a lead and this wouldn't happen.