A bleeding dog was rescued from the sea after a widespread search lasting almost a day.

Lifeboat crews pulled German Shepherd Bear from the water between Margate and Broadstairs yesterday afternoon.

It marked a happy ending for his owners, who had reported him missing on Tuesday, with the last sighting of him in Margate at 10.30pm that night.

Yesterday, at about 4pm, he was seen in the sea at Neptune’s Tower, between Botany Bay and Kingsgate Bay.

Two passers-by went into the water and brought him to shore, but he ran off again and back into the sea.

RNLI crews were scrambled, along with rescue teams from Margate and Deal, and discovered Bear was at risk of being left stranded as the tide rose near Stone Bay in Broadstairs.

The dog’s owners were identified through social media and indicated Bear was not particularly people-friendly, so someone familiar with him joined the lifeboat crew on their rescue attempt.

At 4.40pm, they retrieved a very wet Bear, who was greeted by his owners on dry land.

He had bleeding paws, likely caused by running and scrambling up rocks to escape the water.

Derek Amas, the lifeboat operations manager for RNLI Margate, said: “While it was established the dog had emerged from the water safely it was important to try and regain control of it and prevent any further problems.

“We strongly urge people not to enter the water to attempt rescue when a dog decides to go for an extended swim, the animal will usually return safely on its own.

“On these occasions dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”