The pair were walking close to a stream when Mrs Smith realised her feet were sinking “very, very quickly” into the flat sand, and she was unable to free herself. And with no one around to help and her mobile phone out of battery, she began to fear the worst – until her trusty companion lent a paw.
Mrs Smith, of Underbarrow, said: “It was a pretty horrific My senses were saying – ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this’ – which was a horrible, horrible feeling. I couldn’t get my feet out at all and as I tried to pull one foot out, of course the other sank further in. I had very short Wellington boots on and they were pretty quickly full of water and sand, which became completely solid, so I was cemented into them.”
She added: “Matilda came over. Normally she’ll come to you and jump around and then wander off, but I believe she sensed I was in trouble. I was sinking further in and was really struggling. I just couldn’t get the strength to get out. The pressure on my legs was unbelievable.
“She just stood absolutely still beside me which allowed me to use her back to lever myself out. Then I leaned my body on Matilda’s back and pulled my leg as hard as I could. She was absolutely solid as a rock.” The struggle lasted for ten to 15 minutes before Mrs Smith had both legs free.
She said: “I was absolutely exhausted and just crawled on my knees slowly to safety.” The doctor of philosophy added: “Matilda was looking after me that day. She is a very loyal dog. Whenever I am in the house she follows me wherever I go. She’s an absolute star.”
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