The rescue of a dog which found itself stranded on rocks after chasing a bird in the sea is at the heart of a new episode of a popular television series.

Dunbar’s RNLI crew was called out in November 2020 to help Fergus, a flat-coated retriever, who was stuck hundreds of metres from Ravensheugh Beach, near Tyninghame.

The rescue will now feature on BBC show Saving Lives At Sea.

The call-out that day featured husband-and-wife volunteers Gordon and Laura Kirkham, as well as Duncan Binnie, who teaches RME at Dunbar Grammar School, on the inshore lifeboat (ILB).

Gordon, ILB helm, said: “Fergus had managed to clamber onto rocks but by the time we arrived had clearly been in the water for some time and was looking tired and scared.

“He was initially wary of us but became friendlier the more he got used to us.

“We took him ashore on the lifeboat but, even with his owner there, he was reluctant to get out. We even tried to coax him with biscuits!

“Eventually we lifted him out and he was reunited with his very relieved owner.

“It was good to see him walk off, back on the lead, none the worse for his ordeal.”

Fergus and his owner, who were visiting East Lothian and staying nearby, were walking with a friend and another dog when the incident happened.

Gordon added: “The owner did the right thing in asking for help and not risking their own safety attempting to recover the dog themselves.

“Our lifesaving work would not be possible without donations from the public and we are delighted to be able to share a frontline view of the rescues they support with their kind generosity.”

This will be the third time Dunbar’s volunteers have featured on Saving Lives At Sea.

The popular 10-part documentary, which is broadcast this evening (Thursday) on BBC Two at 8pm, is now in its eighth series and includes the lifesaving work of RNLI lifeguards and volunteer lifeboat crews around the UK and Ireland.

Featuring footage captured on helmet and boat cameras, viewers watch dramatic rescues through the eyes of RNLI lifesavers while meeting the people behind the pagers and those rescued by the charity’s lifesavers.

The series will also be available on BBC iPlayer following broadcast.

Last year, RNLI lifeboat crews launched 9,312 times, saving 389 lives, while the charity’s lifeguards aided 23,204 people and saved 117 lives on some of the UK’s busiest beaches.

Anyone who would like to volunteer with the RNLI can visit rnli.org/volunteer