Sprocker spaniel rescued after chasing duck into sea
AN ADVENTUROUS sprocker spaniel had to be rescued by a boat from the middle of Rocquaine Bay, after chasing a duck.
Patch was unharmed by the incident yesterday morning, but owners Guy and Jo Hardill both agreed it had been quite a stressful incident.
Mrs Hardill was walking the three-year-old dog down near the Fairy Ring, when Patch caught sight of the duck and chased it into the water.
‘He got across the whole of the bay by the Fairy Ring and then around the corner,’ she said.
‘Then I realised he was not coming back.’
Mrs Hardill swam the English Channel last year, but is currently recovering from pneumonia so could not dive into the water after him. Two fellow dog walkers saw her distress and came to help.
One of them called her husband, who has a boat. Mrs Hardill also called her husband Guy, who left work and came down to Portelet to help. He called 999 and spoke to the coastguard, who advised them that no one should try and swim to the dog.
The boatowner came down on their tractor and went into the bay.
Mr Hardill said he could hear Patch barking, but could not see him. It turned out the dog had managed to swim all the way to a reef by Fort Grey.
‘Thankfully he was not injured,’ Mr Hardill said.
‘He was a good swimmer, but he was shivering.’
Afterwards the dog enjoyed a very well-earned nap.
The couple said they were very grateful to the couple who helped rescue Patch, but they did not manage to get their names.
Mrs Hardill said she would be making sure Patch stayed on the lead from now on.
She added that as she left the bay, she noticed that the duck was still in the same place as when Patch jumped into the water.
