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Harbour Side Dog Rescue

A NAVY VETERAN from Castle Kennedy needed all his experience to save his dog, in a dramatic harbour-side rescue.

When John Garrett made his usual stop in Girvan on his way to Glasgow, he was shocked to see his 16-year-old terrier, Dinky, running towards the pier and into the water.

John, 81, had tried to call Dinky from the Girvan green by clapping, but the dog, who is deaf as well as blind in one eye, thought the call had come from another man standing at the pier railings, and ran towards him.

The dog flew over the edge, hitting a fender on the side of a boat moored to the pier. As Dinky swam for his life around the vessel, John called upon all his naval know-how as he set his rescue operation in motion.

He firstly asked the other man to walk round the deck of the boat, getting Dinky to follow him by clapping, before stepping himself onto the harbour steps and waiting in the water for the animal to swim round.

He was able to grab Dinky by the scruff of the neck and pass him up to the man, who was waiting to collect him.