A heartbroken dog owner has praised the kindness of strangers who helped retrieve his pet after it drowned.
Alan Mustarde and his two-year-old Labrador Jura were at Loch Lochy, beside Gairlochy, when tragedy unfolded yesterday.
Jura, who has previously had seizures, got into difficulty when swimming.
“I was always there to keep an eye on him, but he got into trouble,” Mr Mustarde, who keeps a boat in the area, said.
“He did have the occasional seizure. I saw him swim under the pontoon and I heard splashing.
“By the time I had dived in – he had gone. It was a matter of seconds.”
“He went down like a stone.”
Mr Mustarde, from Aviemore, then set about trying to recover Jura’s body from the water.
In an attempt to get phone numbers for local divers Mr Mustarde phoned the police and coastguard, while also putting out a desperate plea on Facebook.
Scuba diver and drone pilot came to aid
He admitted he does not use the social media platform much, but was taken aback at the response and offers of help he received.
“There were so many people that came out of Facebook to get back to my request for a diver,” he said.
“Facebook can be a powerful tool for good, as well as for the bad.”
Scuba diver Chris Simpson and drone pilot Mark Thomas both received calls about the accident and headed to Gairlochy to help.
Mr Simpson, 28, initially did not have his scuba gear and had only planned to go into the water for as long as he could hold his breath. But he was so determined to help find Jura that he eventually borrowed some gear from a friend in Fort William.
Mr Mustarde, 54, said: “He didn’t want to take anything for it. He just did it out of the goodness of his heart.
“He was determined to go above and beyond.”
Mr Thomas, from Nairn, runs a company that does aerial photography and underwater drone searches, and was keen to help.
The 42-year-old said: “”I am a dog lover myself.
“I have been using my drones to go out looking for lost dogs for years.
“By the time I arrived at 9.45pm Chris had already found the body but was struggling to get a rope around her.”
The task was made difficult by the fact that the water around Gairlochy is very peaty and there is no visibility after a few feet.
Mr Thomas used the LED lights on his drone to guide Mr Simpson, and together they were able to retrieve Jura’s body.
Warning to others
Mr Mustarde, who had a life jacket for his pet, is now calling on other dog owners to be careful around the loch.
“Anything can happen,” he said.
“He was my baby boy.
“Me and my wife were massive dog lovers, we have had dogs all our lives.
“Jura will be going to the doggy crematorium this afternoon.”
A Scottish Canals spokeswoman said: “Yesterday, a seizure prone dog was taking a swim in Loch Lochy where it unfortunately passed away.”
They have urged people to take note of their annual canal careful campaign, which highlights best practices when using the canal network – including lochs and reservoirs.
Conversation