A dog named Bean went for an afternoon walk in Gqeberha and ended up 650 feet offshore at Pollock Beach, struggling to stay afloat.
Emergency responders received reports of the dog in distress earlier this month. A duty crew from the National Sea Rescue Institute, nearby on routine training, responded to calls from NSRI’s Emergency Operations Center and launched a rescue craft and rescue swimmers. Lifeguards also joined the rescue, along with a bystander who had paddled out on a rescue board.
“When the NSRI rescue craft arrived on the scene, half a kilometer offshore, an NSRI rescue swimmer entered the water and secured the dog, bringing him safely aboard,” a news statement from NSRI explained.
“Wrapped in blankets and warmed by the rescue swimmer’s body heat, the dog, appearing hypothermic, was brought safely to the NSRI Gqeberha rescue station, where warming procedures continued.”
Bean, an Australian Shepherd, was later returned to his family. NSRI said a contact number on his collar led rescuers to his owners, who arrived at the rescue station “for an emotional reunion.”
“Bean … is believed to have broken free of his leash during an afternoon walk and plunged into the ocean,” the NSRI statement recapped. “As his owners and bystanders tried to retrieve him, he was caught in a rip current and swept out to sea.”
“Bean is now safely home,” NSRI concluded, “where he enjoyed a warm shower and is recovering in the care of his owners.”
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