Fishermen catch dog a mile out to sea

Two North Sea fishermen made an unusual catch when they caught a dog. Freddie, a 14-year-old cairn terrier, became disorientated in the fog while on a walk with his owner Jean Brigstock.

It slipped into the water as Mrs Brigstock, 73, searched for it but had no success and assumed he was hiding in a nearby holiday park. However, Freddie was swimming against the tide, almost a mile out to sea.

He was only saved when the two fishermen spotted what they thought was an otter, went to investigate and saw the dog. They pulled him out and contacted the coastguard, as they were not due to return to shore for days, which sent a boat to retrieve him.



Mrs Brigstock said: "I knew he hated water so I thought he'd head for the dunes rather than the sea. It really didn't enter my head that he would swim. He rarely goes through a puddle and has an aversion to baths."

She said: "When I found out he had been found all that way out, I felt frightened. I worried about what state he would be in. He looked like a drowned rat when they found him." Freddie was taken to the vet but was unscathed.

Mrs Brigstock added: "The night he was rescued, he was a little bit under the weather. He was quite quiet and feeling sorry for himself. But the next morning he was ready for his breakfast."