Lost dog spent three hours swimming out at sea before coastguard’s heroic rescue

A dog in Wales was lost at sea for more than three hours after the coastguard were called out to save his life.

Ollie the Springer spaniel had gone into the sea off Newton Bridge in Porthcawl shortly after 8am on Saturday morning – but did not return to the shore.

When an extensive search by the crew from Porthcawl RNLI was carried out of the surrounding area in calm seas, they were unable to find the dog, despite searching for him for an hour, reports WalesOnline.

It is not yet clear how Ollie ended up in the sea or if he fell from the bridge into the water.

The lifeboat returned to the station when the crew assumed Ollie had safely made it back to shore, but the search was re-launched once again at just after 11.30am following a possible sighting of the beloved pet at Southerndown.

Luckily, the sighting indeed turned out to be Ollie, who was still in good health, and he was brought on to the lifeboat by workers.

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A spokesman from Porthcawl RNLI said the Springer spaniel was "tired" but "happy" when they found him.

"Although he was a little tired he seemed perfectly happy following his ordeal having spent several hours at sea," they said.

"If your dog does get into trouble in the water call it from a safe area where it can get out.

"Never go in after your dog – please dial 999 and ask for the coastguard."

Newton is the easternmost beach at Porthcawl, a ten-minute walk from the picturesque village of Newton.

Popular with windsurfers, jet skiers and power boat users, Newton Beach is a 20-minute drive from Southerndown Beach, where Ollie was found to be swimming.

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