A DOG who was running on Torcross beach ended up in the vets after getting a fishing hook embedded in his tail.

Stephanie Jones’ dog Frank, a yellow Labrador, was on a walk at Torcross on Saturday, January 2, in the early evening, when he got a fish hook and fishing line caught in his tail.

‘We went to the beach to give Frank a quick walk from the middle car park,’ said Stephanie. ‘We saw loads of fisherman, so we stuck to an area between the two groups so he wouldn’t annoy them as he’s only 10 months old.

‘When we went back up to the car, he ran down the car park to say hello to some people and then got in the car as normal. I got home and when he jumped out of the car he kept spinning around to get at his tail.

‘It was then that I noticed the thin fishing line and the big hook stuck in his tail. I phoned South Moor Vets and they said take him straight down. I left him there for a few hours while they gave him a general anaesthetic to be able to remove it.’

Frank is now at home recovering, although feeling a little sorry for himself, but Stephanie says it could have been so much worse: ‘Our friend’s dog died earlier this year by eating some bait that had a hook on it. Too much damage had been caused to save him.’

Dogs and children are at risk of picking up discarded hooks and similar items. We reported on an incident in Aveton Gifford in December 2014 where fishing hooks were found in dog treats on the tidal road.

In May last year we also covered the story of a collie who needed surgery after picking up a discarded bone on Thurlestone Sands, discarded after a barbecue.

‘It seems to be a regular thing and it’s happened to a lot of dogs,’ continued Stephanie. ‘It’s unnecessary and fisherman being selfish and not tidying their stuff away.

‘I’ve nothing against fisherman in any way shape or form, in fact a lot of my family are keen fisherman. But what I can’t understand is when they are doing what they love to do why can they not tidy up after themselves and put their equipment away instead of leaving massive hooks lying around for dogs or even children to find and cause an injury.’

If you are on a beach, either fishing, eating or enjoying yourself, please pick up any litter and take it home with you or put it in a bin. Not only does it prevent marine pollution, but it could save a dog or child from a serious injury.