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A hero dog did not stop barking until its owner clocked a man who was clinging on for his life at sea.
Thanks to the persistent alarm raised by his concerned pet, a dog walker dialled 999 to get emergency help to a man who had been swept away with the tide.
James Baggott from Gosport and Fareham Inshore Lifeboat Service (GAFIRS) said a man, aged in his mid-50s, fell from a small transport boat at Royal Clarence Marina in Gosport, Hampshire, at around 8pm on Saturday (February 5).
Once in the water, the power of the tide caused him to drift around 300 metres in half an hour, taking him out towards Millennium Bridge in the Solent.
James explained a marine police unit were first to the scene after a passer-by said his dog became distressed about the trouble a man was in.
As they crossed the bridge, Poppy the Cockapoo spotted him and kept barking so her owner would help.
James said: "He was incredibly lucky. Being in the water for 30 minutes at this time of year, in a storm force gale with the sea temperature as it is, he was very lucky to survive.
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"He was swept away from the tender and clinging to the pile and if the dog walker hadn't raised the alarm the consequences could have been very different."
The coastguard sent a marine police unit, coastguard rescue team and GAFIRS to the man's aid. By the time the lifeboat reached the scene, police officers were already him out of the water.
Unsurprisingly after 30 minutes in UK waters during the winter, the man was suffering from the effects of hypothermia and was checked over by paramedics before being released.
Despite February only just starting, the incident was worryingly the seventh of the year for the independent GAFIRS.
- Hero Dogs
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