COASTGUARDS are warning about the dangers of attempting to rescue pets after a woman got trapped in mudflats off Tipner, Portsmouth.
The woman managed to get stuck in mud that went up to the middle of her legs after she tried to get her dog out.
Police, ambulance and coastguard were all alerted to the incident, which happened at 1.26pm, but in the end it was two passers-by who managed to drag her safely to shore.
The woman’s dog had got out by itself before help was found.
The woman was unharmed but medics took her to Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham, Portsmouth, as a precaution.
A spokesman for HM Coastguard advised that people should never get themselves into a similar situation because it could become potentially dangerous.
‘Unfortunately animals like to go in the water or like to run in the mud,’ he said. ‘We know what dogs are like.
‘Never, ever try and rescue an animal, even though it may be your life-long pet and you love it so much.
‘This woman could have been stuck for quite some time. Anything involving mud is potentially dangerous.’
He added: ‘We have found that 99 per cent of the time in situations like this the animal will manage to get out of the water or mud itself.
‘As a safety precaution the woman was taken off to hospital for a check-up.’
Comments