A runaway dog has been rescued after she was spotted swimming out from Watchtower Bay.
Maggie, a two year-old Pomsky - a Pomeranian-Husky cross - had been adopted just two days earlier when she slipped her lead and ran across the Old Harbour Beach and into the sea.
There was no sign of her owner at the time, prompting a call to the Coastguard, who alerted the RNLI crew at Barry Dock while they were out on a training exercise.
Dog-sitters Martha Bickerton and Andrew Robertson, owners of WagaMoo, were nearby with their own dogs when they saw her bolt down the beach and keep swimming.
"We’re super paranoid in general after we lost one of our dogs to a hit-and-run last September", said Martha.
"We really would have gone in after her – Crocs and all – but knew the safest thing was to call for help. She just kept swimming, and there was no sign of an owner so we knew something was wrong."
"We called 999 and asked for the Coastguard, while Andrew climbed over the rocks to keep track of where she was so he could help direct the lifeboat crew."
The inshore lifeboat at Barry Dock was out on exercise in Cold Knap Bay when the Coastguard informed them of reports of people entering the water at Cold Knap Point to try and rescue the dog. There were no sightings reported at Watchtower Bay.
Martha and Andrew confirmed the dog had gone in off the Old Harbour Beach and as the lifeboat rounded Cold Knap Point into Watchtower Bay, the crew spotted Andrew on the rocks, pointing in the direction of Friars Point.
Lifeboat crew were already stationed on the bow scanning the area and quickly spotted Maggie, who was now midway between Cold Knap Point and Friars Point.
After reaching the scene, one of the volunteer crew was secured by harness and jackstay on the lifeboat and moved onto the spray rail, before the lfifeboat carefully manoeuvred alongside Maggie, who was tired but still swimming.
She was quickly taken onboard the lifeboat and wrapped in blankets to retain body heat before being taken back to the station at Barry Harbour, after it was confirmed no people were in the water.
While Maggie was being dried and comforted, a crew member contacted a local vet for advice and to check whether Maggie had been reported missing.
Just by chance, she had - and her owner, Julie, was soon contacted and reunited with her dog.
She said: "My little Maggie, who has nine lives, is doing exceedingly well! We’re thinking of renaming her Houdini. We’ll keep her in for a while until we’re confident she isn’t a flight risk. Thank you so much to the crew for rescuing her."
Volunteer crew member Dan, who rescued Maggie from the water, said: "She was clearly starting to tire as she had been in the water quite a while."
"With Emma’s help we got her safely aboard and warmed up. I’ve got two dogs myself, so I know how upsetting it would be to see one of them in that situation — it’s a great feeling to know she was safely reunited with her owner so quickly."
With Maggie and Julie reunited, the lifeboat crew returned to Cold Knap Bay to complete their training exercise.
Coxswain Andy Gavan added: "This was a brilliant example of how quick thinking from the public, clear communication with the coastguard, and the presence of our crew out on exercise all came together to save a life."
"Martha and Andrew did the right thing by calling for help rather than going in after the dog themselves. We’re glad to have been able to bring Maggie home."
A spokesperson for the RNLI at Barry Dock urged owners to keep their dogs on a lead near cliffs and fast-moving water and to contact the Coastguard if they enter the water or get stuck.
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