Rescuers managed to save a stricken dog floundering in the waters of Douglas Harbour after his ‘distressed mate’ alerted a passer-by.
The dramatic incident took place early on Sunday - one of at least three incidents volunteers from Douglas Coastguard were called to that morning.
A member of the public was walking past the ‘tongue’ at Douglas’ inner harbour when they came across a black Newfoundland dog.
The pet pooch was described as being ‘in distress’ and vying for the passer-by’s attention.
Once alerted, the man noticed that there was a white Retriever dog ‘struggling’ in the waters of the harbour.
The man quickly raised the alarm with the Coastguard before hopping down onto a boat in the harbour to try and rescue the stricken dog.
Just in the nick of time, the passer-by managed to grab hold of the Retriever who was struggling to keep afloat against the flow of the river in the harbour.
A spokesperson for Douglas Coastguard said: ‘At this point the dog was starting to go under [water] so was lucky to be saved. ‘Douglas Coastguard were soon on the scene after being called by our Marine Operations Centre and were able to continue the rescue and recovery.
‘As soon as we had all personnel safe we were then able to deal with the other dog, which we were soon after able to reunite with his mate back at our station to await the police to collect them.’
‘We would like to thank the member of the public for his swift action which undoubtedly saved the life of one very lucky dog.’
The Isle of Man Constabulary later issued a public appeal to try and locate the owners of the two dogs - who they jokingly described as ‘reprobates.’
Both animals were later collected from the capital’s police station.
After sharing details of the rescue online on Sunday, fans of the coastguard team were quick to heap praise on all those involved in the incredible rescue effort.
One said: ‘Crikey, that is like a film script!
‘Talk about lucky.
‘Well done everyone involved’.
Another added: ‘We’re so lucky to have such an amazing team of coastguards.
‘Brilliant rescue.’
This was the second notable dog rescue publicised by the island’s coastguard teams this weekend.
Just a day prior (Saturday), Douglas and Ramsey’s coastguard volunteers managed to locate and rescue a missing German Shepherd.
The dog was found perched precariously on the edge of a cliff on Saturday morning, just meters above the sea.
A spokesperson for Douglas Coastguard said the missing dog was found following an ‘extensive search’ by his owners and friends who were only able to locate him after securing access to a drone.
‘Both teams working together were then able to set up in the exact location he was in and recover him back to the cliff top to be reunited with his owners,’ added the spokesperson.
Luckily, the dog, called Diesel, managed to escape the ordeal with only what appeared to be minor injuries.
Again, fans on social media were quick to shower praise on the rescuers after details of the incident were publicised, particularly after the coastguard shared pictures showing the precarious position the dog had found itself before he was rescued.
One said: ‘What a lucky boy! ‘He wasn’t far away from the high tide mark too! ‘Great job guys.’
Another added: ‘You guys are amazing! Thank you so much on behalf of all animal lovers.’