The tale of the Yellow Labrador - loyal, brave, but not very bright

by on 8 Jun 2009 Labradors were always renowned for their bravery, loyalty and friendliness but never for their Mensa standard IQ, and a yellow labrador has just proved the reputation beyond all doubt by protecting his master's runaway yacht so well from the coastguards that it ended up on the beach.

It happened in California's Santa Cruz, well known for its alternative community lifestyles.

The loyal retriever successfully thwarted rescue crews' attempts to tether the 45-foot vessel before it ran aground on Seabright State Beach on Friday afternoon.

The sailboat was moored off the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf but the combination of a south swell and strong westerly winds broke the mooring line Friday while the boat's owner was ashore, according to Deputy Harbormaster Don Kinnamon.

City lifeguards spotted the boat drifting down the coast.

In true coastguard style they swam out to the vessel and tried to hold it out of the surf while the Harbor Patrol responded in a boat. But when the Harbor Patrol and lifeguards tried get on board to sail the vessel away from the beach, the labrador, in true labrador style, snapped and snarled at them, protecting his master's boat. Kinnamon said the dog 'was just doing his job' but that it hampered rescue efforts.

'When we did actually get a line on, the dog ripped it off with his teeth,' Kinnamon said. 'We lost it the boat in the surf and it ran aground.'

When the sailboat hit the sand, the dog jumped off and ran around the beach. The man who owns both the dog and the boat had returned to the wharf by that time and saw his vessel on the beach, Kinnamon said. He went to Seabright beach, where he was reunited with his dog, then assisted with salvaging his sailboat.

There is no record of his reactions, but Vessel Assist and State Parks rangers helped him get the boat off the sand.

It was towed to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, where it will be repaired before returning to its anchorage off the wharf.