Warning after discarded barbecue injures dog on Bognor beach

Writing to the Observer, Sarah Huckle called on owners to ‘remain vigilant’ and beach goers ‘to be considerate’ after discarded coals resulted in her dog being injured during a walk on Sunday evening along Elmer Beach.

She said: “I will never forget the screams of pain from my dog as she stepped on the hot coals and smells of burning from her paws from someone’s discarded barbecue.”

She warned the coals were ‘completely invisible, looking like chalk by the rocks until she stepped on them’.

Sarah added: “It could have been a lot worse – especially if she had gone to pick up one of the coals in her mouth as she was chasing her ball into the rocks and initially we thought she had burnt her mouth – or if it had been a child running around the area in bare feet.

“It was particularly distressing as she kept screaming and we initially thought she had been bitten or broken her foot by the way she was holding it but then we could smell burnt flesh and fur.”

Sarah added she was keen to voice the warning to others as ‘we would hate for this to happen to anyone else’s dog, or god forbid a child’.

In an update Sarah said Amber, her cockapoo, has since started limping and formed a blister on its paw, it is being kept an eye on.

The Observer is keen to hear from you if you’ve been impacted by anything similar or have a story to share, email news@bognor.co.uk