A two-year-old dog who leapt into the sea after being panicked by would-be rescuers in the Western Cape has been safely returned to shore‚ wrapped in a special blanket for hypothermia‚ thanks to the efforts of a fishing vessel and a NSRI crew.Zena the Labrador has been identified due to her electronic tag and will be returned to her family after being kept overnight at their vet's office for precautionary observation.Clive Tesner‚ NSRI Gordons Bay duty coxswain‚ said the duty crew was alerted at 10.35am on Monday‚ following reports from the Animal Welfare Society in Gordons Bay of a dog reportedly being swept out to sea off-shore of Hendon Park‚ between Gordons Bay and Strand."It appears that a member of the public had spotted the dog at shops in Strand and knowing that the dog appeared to be the same dog that had been reported as missing by her owners over the weekend‚ had tried to calm and capture the dog while alerting the Animal Welfare Society Gordons Bay."The Animal Welfare Society Gordons Bay dispatched an inspector but the dog had already run off‚ appearing to be frightened‚ and the dog was followed by the inspector before leaping into the sea off-shore of Hendon Park and the alarm was raised."It is suspected that the dog may then have been caught in strong rip currents.The NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski and linked up with the fishing vessel Skipper Jack‚ that had been in the area at the time."They had noticed the dog swimming about 800 meters off-shore and they had gone to the rescue of the dog and they had successfully rescued the dog onto their fishing vessel."The dog‚ showing signs of hypothermia‚ was reassured and wrapped in a blanket and transferred onto the sea rescue craft and brought safely to the NSRI sea rescue base in Gordons Bay where treatment for hypothermia was continued‚" Tesner said.The Animal Welfare Society from Gordons Bay arrived at the NSRI sea rescue base and they took the dog into their care.A dog chip identified her as Zena - confirmed to be the dog reported as missing over the weekend - and the owners who live in the Strand were contacted.Zena was reunited with her owners but her ordeal is not quite over: she has to spend the night at their vet's office.She required treatment for hypothermia and requires precautionary observation for secondary drowning.On a more positive note‚ Tesner said "she is expected to fully recover and go home tomorrow"...