SAIRA KHAN’S PICK OF THE WEEK

How cool does this dog look in his lifeguard gear? ‘

Meet Baloo, the four-year-old golden retriever who has been trained as a lifeguard by his owner Simone Filesi since he was a puppy. Simone and Baloo volunteer as part of a unit of lifeguards patrolling the beaches of Lazio and Sicily in Italy.

This story goes to show how important it is that we look after our animals. Dogs never cease to amaze me. They are highly intelligent and loyal creatures and to see this dog using its natural instincts to be a lifeguard and help save lives is phenomenal. We recently took our pet cavachon Vera on our family holiday to Cornwall and she loves the sea, just like Baloo. She hadn’t been in the water before, but we gingerly took her into the sea and she knew to use her legs to paddle.

Golden retrievers are strong, so it doesn’t surprise me that Baloo is able to pull up to three people to safety using his harness, which has handles attached for endangered swimmers to grab on to.

I love that Simone says: “I would trust Baloo with my life.” This is why dogs have got a reputation for being man’s best friend. You can trust them. These canines go through training like a human would, learning signals and understanding calls and sounds. It’s incredible how the relationship between humans and animals has developed – dogs play lots of important roles in society,

‘ from guides helping the blind, to sniffer and security dogs helping the police, and now as lifeguards.

It’s also important to note that, with a lot of us spending more time near the sea over the summer months, awareness of water safety has never been so paramount.