Specially trained dogs to rescue people as part of drowning prevention plan

Newfoundland dogs have been specially trained for water rescues as part of a collaborative plan to prevent people drowning in Scotland.

Ash Regan, Scottish Government community safety minister, stressed the importance of water safety awareness as part of events to mark Monday’s World Drowning Prevention Day.

Speaking to organisations such as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Ms Regan also watched a demonstration by Newfoundland dogs specially trained to rescue people from the water.

The breed is well known for its natural life-saving instinct in saving people in water.

St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh will be lit up blue with other world landmarks as part of the global prevention day.

The Scottish Government also announced plans to give funding to RoSPA to help strengthen the focus on water safety and its support for Water Safety Scotland.

Ms Regan said, with Scottish schools closed for summer, it is vitally important everyone heeds crucial water safety advice.

She added: “I welcome the opportunity to support the World Health Organisation’s World Drowning Prevention Day.

“We are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and surrounded by waterways that can appear tempting during hot weather.

“But it’s vitally important people exercise extreme caution if venturing into open water and that they heed all of the safety advice.

“Entering any waterway has an element of risk and can have tragic consequences.

“The Scottish Government takes the issue of water safety very seriously and our sympathies remain with everyone affected by the tragedy of a water fatality.

“We work closely with Water Safety Scotland (WSS) and other partners, including local councils, Police Scotland, RoSPA, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to implement and support initiatives that can help raise awareness of the hazards around water and reduce deaths from accidental drowning.

“I have witnessed today work to prevent water tragedies from occurring but this is never a substitute for adhering to safety advice when in and around cold water.”