A DOG OWNER from Barry is urging fishermen to take their rubbish home with them after her pet Miniature Schnauzer required emergency surgery to remove a fishing hook that got caught in her tongue while walking along Old Harbour beach on Friday.
Claire Wheatley’s wife, also called Claire, was out walking eight-year-old Luna early on Friday morning when the dog became curious about a discarded fishing hook found near the harbour wall, and put it in her mouth, where it pierced her tongue.
Claire said: “My wife was walking with Luna by the harbour wall, and she noticed the dog was doing something funny with her mouth. Luna has epilepsy so Claire was a bit concerned she was going to have a fit, but they carried on walking a bit further and she then noticed Luna had a big, long piece of fishing line hanging out of her mouth.
“Claire rang me, she brought Luna home, and she had to go to the vet, who gave her anaesthetic and performed emergency surgery that day.”
Luna is now back home and has recovered well from the ordeal, but Claire is urging people who use the area for fishing to discard their rubbish responsibly. She said: “I like fishing myself and I understand that lines sometimes snap in the water, but this one was on the wall, it had just been left there.
“I’m part of the Barry Bluetits cold water swimming group, and one of our members has done a number of litter picks recently. The amount of rubbish he’s found has been unbelievable. I also picked up a few fishing lines myself the other day.”
Claire is also warning other dog owners to be careful when walking along local beaches: “It’s frightening, because if the hook had gone down into Luna’s throat or stomach, it could’ve been a lot worse than it was.
“Luckily, Luna’s insured, but some people could end up with very expensive vet’s bills if something similar happens to them.
“Dogs are banned from certain beaches, but it seems to me that most of the time it’s people who are the problem,” she said.
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