Freddie, a 14-year-old cairn terrier, became disorientated in the fog while on a beach walk with his 73-year-old owner Jean Brigstock, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

The fishermen spotted what they thought was an otter but it turned out to be Freddie. They pulled him out of the water and contacted the coast guard.

Since the men were going to be out at sea for days, the coast guard sent a boat to retrieve the dog.

Brigstock's daughter, Wendy, came across the wife of one of the fishermen, who told her they had found Freddie.

"I knew he hated water so I thought he'd head for the dunes rather than the sea. It really didn't enter my head that he would swim," Brigstock said. "He rarely goes through a puddle and has an aversion to baths."

She said she worried about what state he would be in. "He looked like a drowned rat when they found him," she said.