A WORLD champion swimmer helped to rescue a dog after it was struggling in the water in Saltcoats at the weekend.

Stevenston swimmer Danielle Joyce, who is a multi-world record holder and double Deaflympic champion, jumped into the water when a springer spaniel was struggling to stay afloat after it had been chasing a duck.

She said in a post online that she made the ‘very stupid and serious decision to swim out and save it’ and luckily she managed to get the dog and make it back to the rocks near the shore before waiting for the Coastguard and RNLI to come to their rescue.

At 11am on Sunday, June 10, the Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team was called out and as the team arrived on scene, the dog and Danielle were on the rocky shoreline below but otherwise safe and well.

The team deployed a water rescue operator into the water who quickly reached both causalities to ensure their safety.

A life jacket was given to Danielle with the spaniel, called Murphy, being recovered via the team’s specialist animal rescue bag.

Given the distance to the nearest safe exit from the shoreline, the Inshore Lifeboat from Troon successfully recovered her and the team’s water rescue operator to an access point nearby where they were both recovered to dry land.

Immediate casualty care was provided to both casualties, who other than being a bit cold, were safe and unharmed after the experience.

Kevin Paterson from the Coastguard said: “Thankfully in this instance the members of the public who were witness to the events unfolding knew who to contact and there was no delay in the right resources getting deployed to the incident.

“Whilst we appreciate animals in the water is an emotive subject and often place people in a moral dilemma, we always advise the public to avoid entering the water or placing themselves at any risk.

“Crucially it’s important to #KnowWhoToCall if there’s an emergency at the coast or there’s people at risk- always dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”