KIDDLE'S CORNER
VIEW FROM A COACH
SHAGGY DOG STORY
Elite coach Rick Kiddle tells it how it is. This issue: what to do when your competitors aren’t just in another league – they’re another species!
A few years ago I entered the Yacht Inn Swim from Newlyn Bay to Penzance. It is quite a tough swim, so I thought there
would only be about 50 other swimmers, but when I turned up there were 250. There was a real mixture of abilities, but by far the most interesting was a local RNLI lifeguard by the name of Bilbo, from Sennen. He was a very profi cient swimmer and beat many of the entrants – a fact all the more remarkable because he was a dog. By my third at empt of the swim last year, it was obvious that Bilbo was a local celebrity. He was inspiring more and more people to join the swim and entrant numbers were up to more than 450. Uncharacteristically, even my son agreed to swim the whole thing to try to beat him – needless to say the dog came in a way before him! Generally dark-coloured and shaggy, Newfoundlands were originally bred in the 1600s to be working dogs for fi shermen in Newfoundland, now part of Canada. They are known for their giant size, tremendous strength, calm disposition and loyalty, as well as their talent for water rescue. These skills have been credited to their muscular build and a double coat, which has a waterproof top layer. When Bilbo did his Newlyn to Penzance swim last year (which only took him 28 minutes), my son Niall liſt ed up his top coat, and his bot om coat was completely dry.
NEWFOUNDLANDS MOVE THEIR LIMBS IN A DOWN-AND-OUT MOTION, LIKE BREASTSTROKE
They also have great lung capacity for swimming long distances, and their massive webbed paws give maximum propulsion. The swimming stroke is not an ordinary doggy paddle either: the Newfoundland moves its limbs in a down-and-out motion, like a modifi ed type of breaststroke. Bilbo isn’t the only lifesaving dog out there. There are many true stories of the courage displayed by Newfoundlands in adventuring and lifesaving exploits. One Newfoundland rescued 92 people from a sinking ship, another (known as Hairyman) saved over 160 Irish immigrants from the wreck of the brig Dispatch in 1828. This heroism has inspired writers, for example Nana in Peter Pan was a Newfoundland, as was Mr Rochester’s dog Pilot in Jane Eyre. The National Open Water Coaching Association (NOWCA) is
now working with Newfs-In-Action (
newfsinaction.co.uk) to give Newfoundland owners access to water where they can train their dogs to lifesave, and help with sending out strong messages about water safety to children. Although these dogs are family pets, they can learn the rudimentary skills they need to help people.
Newfoundland dogs can make great lifeguards
A training regime includes several progressive phases: play in water when they’re young; learn to rescue their owner; work with a harness to tow their owner; wrist towing, where they gently grab the casualty by the wrist; towing boats; taking a life ring out to a casualty; jumping out of a moving boat to a casualty; fi nding hidden casualties; and then distraction training, to help them focus on a casualty and not their toys. There have been many articles and even a book writ en about Bilbo “The life-saving Newfoundland dog” (have a look on YouTube to see him in action). There was uproar a few years ago when Bilbo was banned from the beach on health-and-safety grounds, causing thousands to sign petitions demanding offi cials reclassify Bilbo as a legitimate working animal and permit him back in the beach alongside his lifeguard owner. He was fi nally given permission to return in 2009, and he can
oſt en be seen there, wearing his lifesaving uniform with safety messages on it. He has been credited with saving three lives to date, and he continues to be an inspiration to many people. ○
This article is dedicated to my dad, who never failed to be impressed to see his son’s work in print and always read what I’d writ en with interest. I’ll miss you Dad, rest in peace.
Former British triathlon champion, triathlon and swimming coach, Rick Kiddle has coached British Gas employees and other swimmers including celebrities Jodie Kidd, in her British Gas Great Swim series event, and Vernon Kay for the London Triathlon. Contact him at
rick@rickkiddle.com with your comments, questions and suggestions.
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