'We had to act fast': How Otis the dog was rescued

The sea state was rough as swell from Hurricane Erin approached

Rescuers have re-lived the moments they managed to save a family of five and their young Rottweiler dog when they were cut off by the rising tide.

With the tide surging in with swell from Hurricane Erin, the family found themselves stranded on a shrinking patch of sand in a cove.

Rudy Donovan, a worker at the Kynance Cove Cafe, recalled the moment he and colleague Chris Betty spotted the family in trouble just after 18:00 BST on Monday and realised they had to take immediate action to save them.

"We often have to warn people before they get cut off. But this time, five people and their dog had already been caught, said Mr Donovan.

Otis is brought to safety after an RNLI crew member got in the water to rescue him

Armed with a surfboard and a stand-up paddleboard, the pair paddled out to the mother, father, and three young children, one just a toddler.

"They were standing on the last bit of sand," Mr Donovan said.

"We knew we had to act fast."

One by one, the rescuers ferried the family to safety, starting with the youngest and ending with the father.

But the family's nine-month-old Rottweiler, Otis, had panicked and bolted, scrambling up the rocky cliffs of Asparagus Island.

"We tried for 10 or 15 minutes to catch him," Mr Donovan said.

"He was so spooked. I got hold of his lead, but he slipped it. The tide was coming in fast, we knew we needed help."

Otis is hauled aboard the lifeboat

That came in the form of the RNLI lifeboat crew from The Lizard, led by launch officer Taz Bradley.

"We got the call that the dog had panicked and gone into the water," Ms Bradley said.

"Our concern was that a family member might try to go back in after him. That's the last thing we want."

The RNLB Rose was launched with a six-strong crew, joining Mullion and Porthoustock Coastguard Rescue Teams.

Conditions were worsening. Otis had managed to climb onto Asparagus Island, but he was still stranded and frightened.

Two RNLI crew members approached the island in a smaller boat.

One leapt on to the rocks to calm Otis, while the other returned to the lifeboat to collect a third crew member and a rescue line.

The line was secured, and the crew member entered the water with Otis, holding the large dog securely against the boat's side as they navigated back to the Rose.

Otis was finally lifted aboard and reunited with his grateful family, who took him to a vet as a precaution.

The RNLI praised Mr Donovan and Mr Betty for their "courageous intervention" and advised all beachgoers to heed tide warnings and listen to local advice to avoid getting caught out.