Dog left clawing face in agony after being skewered on Welsh beach

A dog walker is urging others to be on the look out after her pet was left yelping in agony after being skewered by angling hooks on a Welsh beach. Betty, a three-year-old Bedlington Terrie

was left clawing its face in agony after being skewered by angling hooks on a Conwy beach. Its owner has warned other dog walkers to be alert to the dangers after more vicious-looking hooks were found nearby.

Only quick action by Cheryl Wild prevented further damage to Betty, her three-year-old Bedlington Terrier. The normally placid dog was playing on Penmaenmawr beach when she began yelping in pain.

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Cheryl, who lives in the seaside resort, often takes Betty to the beach for exercise along with her other Bedlington, two-year-old Willow. “As I have a bad knee, I sat on a rock and watched them play,” she said.

“Betty began shaking her head frantically. Initially, I didn’t think much of it as she often picks up seaweed and throws it around. But then she began yelping in pain.”

Running to help, Cheryl found a three-pronged hook hanging from Betty’s face. Two were impaled, one of them right through the dog’s nose. As the hooks were barbed, they couldn’t be removed without causing more damage.

“If I tried to pull them out, it would have ripped her nose to pieces,” said Cheryl. “But Betty was really distressed and was trying to knock out the hooks with her paws, causing the wound to bleed even more. I was worried she was going to rip them out and cause more damage - it was really traumatic for everyone there.”

A friend called for help, asking for wire cutters to be fetched to the beach. Meanwhile Cheryl carried Betty to a bench, warning passers-by to look out for fishing hooks. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone

Cheryl said: “It was on Sunday (November 10) and I was worried she would cause more damage to herself if we waited trying to find an out-of-hours vet. So I put my hands over Betty’s eyes and stroked her to keep her calm as the barbs were cut off the hooks.

“Then we were able to pull out the rest, a bit like removing earrings. Betty was very good - she sat still as we removed the hooks. Had she struggled, we would have taken her to the vet anyway.”

When both hooks had been extracted, the people they’d warned 20 minutes earlier returned to say they’d found two more hooks on the beach. It prompted Cheryl to issue a social media warning alerting other dog owners to the potential dangers.

In response to criticism of fishing litter, anglers suggested the hooks had snagged or snapped in the sea before being washed back ashore. A local man said: “99% of anglers are responsible human beings with families and animals at home and are not irresponsible and would hate the thought of injuring that poor dog.”

Yet others claimed it was a common occurrence on the region's beaches. “Same happened to my dog,” said an Anglesey woman. “Ended up with a £200 vet bill.”

Neither are dogs the only victims. One woman said: “My grandson ended up with one through his foot when he was about seven years old on Llan (Llanfairfechan) beach. See hooks quite often down there.”

If a pet is hooked by fishing gear, surgery may be needed. If the hook has been swallowed, an emergency endoscopy may also be required. The victim will also need antibiotics to prevent infection. If the hook is still attached to a line, pet owners are advised not to cut this too short as it may help the vet when removing the hook.

In July, Conwy Council warned all visitors to Penmaenmawr beach to be vigilant for metal “spikes” embedded in the sand. The local authority said they are left by anglers who used them to anchor nets. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

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