Kano the four-year-old spaniel cross lost overboard and feared drowned on Friday night, has been re-united with his owners. The dog had disappeared from his owners’ boat as they travelled from Helensburgh to Port Glasgow and they had presumed that he had drowned. However, the dog had swum to shore.

His owner, Sharon McKay told BBC news that the tide was on its way out and that the dog must have swum against the current to reach the shore. The two men on board the boat, Mrs McKay’s husband Donald and her brother John Cardoo, who were out fishing, thought the dog was sleeping in the cabin.

A Coastguard officer from the Kilcreggan Coastguard Rescue Team discovered Kano while walking his own dog near the Roseneath Caravan Park. The McKays had contacted the coastguard, police and SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) as soon as they realised Kano was lost. Fearing that the dog’s owner was in some difficulty nearby, a search involving the Kilcreggan Coastguard Rescue Team, Strathclyde Police and an MOD Police vessel was launched, however it was called off when the dog was identified.

Stuart Atkinson, Clyde Coastguard Watch Manager said: “Kano has now been re-united with his owners, who are thrilled that he survived his ordeal. He had disappeared from the boat overnight and they had been unable to find him, despite a search.”