RNLI volunteer swims to the rescue of stranded dog in Devon (UK) 18/May/2026

The owners of a "beloved" dog that became stranded on rocks after falling from a coastal path in Devon have thanked an RNLI volunteer who swam to her rescue. The dog had become "spooked" by another dog, fallen and become stranded and surrounded by "rough water" at an area near Capstone Hill, Ilfracombe, on Friday afternoon. Ilfracombe's volunteer RNLI crew were called as back up by Mullacott Coastguard Search and Rescue and they launched an inshore boat to get "as close as possible" to the animal. As the dog's owner "watched nervously from above", one of the RNLI boat's three crew members swam to the pet before returning with her in his arms, the lifeboat charity said. The RNLI said the rescuer and dog were "hauled onto the lifeboat" before making the short journey back to the lifeboat station, where the dog was then "reunited with her family". The RNLI said it had received a message from the owners thanking them for saving "their beloved dog". The note added: "She's fine - subdued and exhausted but not so much that she couldn't manage some toast in a restaurant." #dogrescue #seasidedogrescue #dogrescue2026 #dogrescueUK