A PUBLICAN says her dog is lucky to be alive after swallowing a large fish hook which had been left on a Hampshire beach.

Josie Hooper was walking along Hurst Spit, near Milford on Sea, when her retriever started eating a piece of bait discarded by an angler.

Two-year-old Nelly ended up swallowing one of the attached hooks and needed an emergency operation.

Now 28-year-old Josie and her partner, Clifford Lemon, 29, are urging fishermen not to leave hazardous items lying around on the county's beaches.

It comes after Milford was named as one of the most pet friendly beaches in the UK.

Dog Friendly Cottages has published the results of a nationwide study which set out to identify the best waterfront walks for dog owners and their canine companions.

A total of 1,000 dog lovers were surveyed and the shingle beach at Milford on Sea finished in the top six.

But Josie and Clifford say their visit to the area turned into a nightmare.

Josie said: "Nelly came across a large piece of bait and several hooks. They were too far from the water's edge to have been washed up and must have left there.

"A 2in hook lodged in the back of her throat after she attempted to eat the bait.

"She started choking and at one point I was pretty sure she was going to die. We managed to dislodge the hook after cutting away the fishing line but Nelly slammed her mouth shut and swallowed it."

Josie said Nelly was taken to the vets and underwent an operation.

She added: "Luckily the hook was in her stomach. If it had lodged in her gullet or her intestine it would probably have killed her. She could easily have choked on it and died on the beach."

Josie also needed treatment after being bitten as she tried to keep Nelly's mouth open while Clifford attempted to remove the hook.

"My hand started swelling up and I ended up going to A&E, where I was given a tetanus shot," she said.

"Nelly's operation probably lasted about two-and-a-half hours. She gets tired very easily and isn't allowed out with the other dogs because her wound is still healing, but she seems happy in herself."

Josie, whose family run a pub near Petersfield, is urging anglers to take more care.

She said: "Leaving hooks on the beach was selfish and unnecessary. I'm disgusted that people still chuck things away without thinking about the potential consequences."

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