March 31, 2009

Bilbo, a Newfoundland, has been reinstated at his post as a lifeguard dog in Cornwall.(ZT Pet News Photo Illustration)

CORNWALL, U.K. -- Once banned from his post, a famed British lifeguard dog will return to duty at a Cornish beach.

Thousands of people signed a petition asking UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown -- and Queen Elizabeth -- to mandate that Bilbo, a 6-year-old Newfoundland, get his job back.

For the past three years, the chocolate-colored, nearly 200 pound dog has stood watch alongside his lifeguard owner. The two patrolled the beachfront together and would regularly cruise the shore in an All Terrain Bike.

Bilbo, whose waterproof coat and webbed paws were reportedly put to good use on the job, also wore his special lifeguard vest before plunging into the water. He had also passed a special fitness and swimming test before making his ocean front debut.

The dog is credited with aiding in three rescues of struggling swimmers in Sennen Cove.

Yet the Royal National Lifeguard Institution took issue with Bilbo riding a motorized bikein May 2008, citing health and safety concerns. Later that month, it officially banned him from him post, saying that while it cannot bar a dog from the beach, it could renounce Bilbo from keeping an official post.

The move prompted an outcry from Bilbo's supporters across the world -- more than 10,000 signed a paper petition, and an additional 7,000 joined a Facebook group rallying behind the dog.

Yesterday, the RNLI announced that it would permit Bilbo to patrol the beach again this season.

It was a great victory for Bilbo and his owner, Steve Jamieson, 57, Britain's longest-serving lifeguard, and now an RNLI area supervisor.

"The people not just in Cornwall, but the whole of the UK, have taken Bilbo to their hearts and, in the end, something had to be done about it," Jamieson told The Independent. "The council and the RNLI have done a stalwart job, while Bilbo is ecstatic that he will be able to get back on the beach."

Over the course of his forced retirement from the shore, Bilbo has been keeping busy making appearances at local schools, educating young students about water safety.

During a recent visit at the Constantine Primary School, in Cornwall, Bilbo stood by while Jamieson told students to stay within designated areas, and not listen to people who are in replica lifeguard gear, but are not certified lifeguards.

The school is only one of the communities that has long been receptive to Bilbo and his safety cause.

"When we heard about Bilbo's petition was under threat, we took a petition round school to make sure he stayed on the beach," headteacher Liz Brand told the Flamouth Penryn Packet. "We are very pleased that has changed."

Beach-goers can now expect to see Bilbo making the rounds on the beach this summer -- and for many more to come.

The BBC, The Independent and the Flamouth Penryn Packet contributed to this report.