A woman has described the dramatic rescue of her beloved dog from the sea as being like a miracle.
Julia Brown’s whippet fell around 20 ft into the choppy water by Elie harbour during a walk.
The year-old pooch was struggling to stay afloat when Forbes Boyne and Andrew McDonald drove by and saw the commotion.
Andrew lowered a long ladder from the roof of their van down the wall and Forbes went down and plucked Zed from the chilly water.
Julia, 41, said: “What they did was absolutely wonderful and so selfless.”
Zed, who was off the lead, became excited when two joggers passed by, jumped and fell over the steep wall.
Julia, of Cowdenbeath, was terrified her pet was going to die and began screaming.
She said: “He was struggling to keep himself up, I could see his back end going down. I felt so helpless and didn’t know what to do. I thought I was going to have to watch him drown.”
Forbes, owner of Fireside Tartan stove studio in the village, and stove installer Andrew had just finished a job nearby when they were flagged down by frantic Julia and her friend Laura Roe.
Julia said: “It was like a miracle for a van to pass with these ladders right at that moment. They were so quick and so professional they were like the fire service.”
Also with the help of a passing stranger, Forbes quickly brought shivering Zed back to dry land and warmed him up with a quilted jacket from the back of their van.
Having recovered from the shock, Julia called Forbes later to thank him for saving the life of her little companion.
She also intends to visit his showroom with Zed when they are next in the area.
Julia got Zed when he was only 10 weeks old and said: “I love him so much. I would have been heartbroken if anything had happened to him.”
Brindle-coloured Zed appeared traumatised and was exhausted after his ordeal on Wednesday, but was otherwise unhurt.
Forbes said: “We only did what anyone else would have done. The wee dog was clearly in distress. It was going under and it wouldn’t have lasted much longer, that’s for sure. When I brought him out he was petrified, cold and traumatised.
“We are not looking for any thanks, it was just nice to be able to assist. I’m a dog lover and I know how I would have felt in that situation.”
