Golden retriever rescued from harbour 'one lucky dog'

The dogs were reunited with their owner after a police appeal

A golden retriever rescued from an Isle of Man harbour after its canine "mate" raised the alarm was "one very lucky dog", the coastguard has said.

A member of the public spotted the dog "in trouble and struggling" near The Tongue in Douglas inner harbour at about 08:30 GMT on Sunday after its Newfoundland counterpart had "attracted his attention".

After calling for the coastguard to be alerted to the situation, the man climbed on to a boat and grabbed hold of the animal until the crew arrived and hoisted the dog to safety.

Praising the man's quick actions, a spokesman for Douglas Coastguard said the passer-by had "undoubtedly" saved the animal's life.

Douglas Coastguard said the rescue took about an hour

The spokesman said the coastguard had been contacted by the Marine Operations Centre and was soon on the scene.

He said when the team arrived the golden retriever had begun move with the flow of the river down the harbour and was "starting to go under" the water.

The dog was "lucky to be saved" by the man's quick reactions, he said.

The two dogs were able to be reunited after the ordeal

The spokesman said once the stricken animal was back on dry land the rescuers were able to "reunite" it with its canine counterpart at the coastguard station.

"We would like to thank the member of the public for his swift action, which undoubtedly saved the life of one very lucky dog," he added.

The owner of the canine duo was later tracked down by an appeal on social media by the Isle of Man Constabulary.