A WIRRAL RSPCA inspector has a friend for life in the form of a dog who was trapped on a mud flat in Heswall just days after being rescued from near-certain death.

RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes received a call from a distressed member of the public on Wednesday evening after spotting the cross-breed dog in difficulty.

“It had gone over the wrong side of the estuary and had got stuck in the mud which is really treacherous and dangerous and it couldn’t get back,” said Inspector Joynes.

But high tide and increasing darkness meant a rescue mission was too dangerous to carry out and had to be put off until Thursday morning – leading to a sleepless night for Inspector Joynes, who feared the pooch would drown.

He said: “The dog had only been in the country for two days – it had been brought over from Romania after being rescued from one of those dog killing camps.

“But a tree had blown down during the Hurricane Gonzalo winds and landed on its kennel and it escaped – it had been missing for over a day.”

Inspector Joynes kept in touch with a member of the public who lived on a houseboat close to the dog’s location on the River Dee Estuary, who informed him the dog had been howling throughout the night.

After receiving a message at 6am so say the dog had survived the night, Inspector Joynes was joined by two members of the Coastguard team and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service as they attempted to rescue the dog once more.

“We had to make our way through the mud as the tide was coming back in but we managed to get the dog secure and to safety,” said Inspector Joynes.

But the rescue efforts did not end there as a member of the public had also become trapped on the same mud flat after trying to aid the stranded dog.

Wirral Globe:
RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes helps to rescue the dog and woman from the mud flat. Pic courtesy of The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies/Channel 5.

Inspector Joynes said: “We managed to get both the dog and the woman to safety – it was brilliant team work between ourselves, the coastguard and the fire service.

“The dog’s owner had seen the dog on Wirral Lost and Found on Facebook last night so she was there to be reunited with him – it was a nice happy ending.”

The dramatic rescue was captured on film by Channel 5, who are currently filming for the next series of the Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies.

The Christmas Special of the show, featuring Inspector Joynes, airs on Channel 5 on Christmas Eve.