By Mal Butler
A dog who decided to for a ‘sightseeing’ walk on the beach after escaping from his owner, was rescued after hiding out under Ryde Pier on Tuesday.
Rescue dog Karoo, who is around three-years-old and very nervous, was being taken by bus from Newport to Ryde to get himself comfortable with public transport during quiet times.
Drone SAR for Lost Dogs IoW was contacted by Koroo’s frantic owner after he went missing and the organisation’s Suzzy Lee explained:
“Whilst waiting to return to Newport, he was taken for a quick visit to the beach. Unfortunately, a sudden noise was enough to make him slip his collar and bolt.
“The owner also had no shelter whilst waiting for him to hopefully return. Many lost dogs will return to where they last saw their owners. It was bitterly cold and, by now, raining, so some volunteers responded to assist.
“Two sightings were reported on our Facebook page which were being responded to, whilst another volunteer was on route to pick up the owner.
“As the search quietly began, in order not to scare Karoo, we discovered he had made his way back towards the bus station but got it a bit wrong and ended up underneath Ryde Pier!
“Wightlink staff heard barking, located, him and immediately called the Coastguard team. Bembridge Inshore Lifeboat crew were then tasked to the rescue.
“The owner and our volunteers all made their way to the pier whilst the rescue went ahead and Karoo was made safe in the craft. Although very wet and cold, Karoo recovered well from his experience. However, he was closely observed overnight in case of secondary drowning.
“Thank you to our volunteers, who were supporting the owner through a very stressful time, and the biggest thanks is to all involved in bringing Karoo to safety.”
Carole Dennett