By Ursula Duddy
The quick-thinking actions of have-a-go heroes who saved the life of a dog in distress have been praised by a local woman who witnessed the rescue.
Last Friday just after 1pm, Maud Hamill happened to be passing Culmore with her nephew on a day out to Malin Head.
She stopped to point out the area where U-boats had been moored on the banks of the River Foyle after their crews surrendered at the end of World War Two.
It was then she noticed something out in the water.
“I was on my way to Malin Head and stopped off with my nephew to show him where the U-Boats had been surrendered at the end of World War Two down by the old jetty when I saw something in the water,” she said.
“At first I thought it was a seal but then I realised it was a beautiful black Labrador struggling in the strong current. He looked like it was out in the water quite some time and he was exhausted.
“There were men there from RPS water division who were working in the area; they were on their lunchbreak and thought the dog was mine at first. We all stood on the jetty calling and trying to attract the dog’s attention.
“These men worked together to save the dog, who we now know is called Tyson, and they did it all very safely.
“They attached a rope around the man that went out into the water to the dog; it was just wonderful to watch.”
Ms Hamill said that the men then took Tyson to a vet, found he was microchipped and was able to be reunited with his owners.
She said she believed Tyson was being looked after while his owners were away and had managed to escape, going for a dip in the River Foyle without realising how dangerous it was.
Ms Hamill praised the heroic efforts of the employees from the Belfast-based engineering firm, RPS, who she dubbed ‘the heroes of Culmore’.
“I only got the names Tony and Paul but all these men were absolute gentlemen and great ambassadors for their company,” she said.
“It was a real human act and, only for those men, the dog would have been swept out and died. You can just imagine if that family had come home to find their lovely dog missing, they would never have known what happened to him.
“I’m so glad it was such a happy ending.”
So, there was a happy ending to this shaggy-dog story and Tyson lived to fight another day!
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