Pet pulls amazing survival act at sea

Ingrid and David Paine, and jack russell Jay, are a happy family again after Jay's boating mishap. Picture / Kenny Rodger

David Paine doesn't like to think what might have happened if his 4-year-old jack russell terrier hadn't survived a marathon 2.5km swim in the Hauraki Gulf.

Jay, a loved family pet, fell overboard from the family launch half-way between Waiheke Island and Motuihe Island on Saturday.

Despite frantic searching, he could not be found and Mr Paine sailed back to Half Moon Bay to break the bad news to wife Ingrid.

"It was a case of husband takes dog on boat, husband loses dog, husband divorced on Saturday but happily remarried on Sunday," Jay's relieved owner said yesterday.

Jay turned up, tired and hungry, early on Sunday morning at the property of a Waiheke couple whose Church Bay home on the island's western face is a steep, 1km climb from the beach.

It was the second close call for a dog in the gulf in as many days.

The day before, a black and grey pet was found by a local boatie swimming about 2km off Waiheke's southern coast.

The man at first thought the dog was a piece of flotsam. He called Coastguard Northern Region, who picked it up and found its owner.

The dog was "ecstatic" to see the boaties, said coastguard officer Jo Ottey.

The Paines found a happy but exhausted Jay when they arrived on Waiheke to pick him up.

Mr Paine hoped Jay's close call might serve as a warning to other boaties.

"If you own a dog and you go to sea, don't let him out of your sight."