A Stockport teen’s devotion to her dog almost ended in disaster as she was swept down the River Goyt after jumping in to rescue her pet this morning.
Marple firefighters were called to Brabyns Park at around 10am to find the 14-year-old and her golden retriever marooned on an island in the middle of the river.
The crew were joined by specialist water incident units from Heywood and Eccles fire stations.
Station Manager Bob Pownell, who was in charge of the incident, said: “The girl was out walking with her dog when it went for a swim and got swept downstream.
“The young woman went in after the dog and got swept about 25metres down the river, luckily she found herself marooned on an island mid-stream.
“The river level was quite high and the water was very cold if the girl had got in further downstream she would have been swept away.
“The firefighters did a fantastic job to rescue the young lady and her dog, they even managed to get a blanket across to her to keep her warm while they launched a boat to carry out the rescue.
“Dogs always manage to paddle over to a bank and escape from water, it’s very rare that they get swept away.
“People on the other hand rarely make it out alive, especially at this time of year when the water is cold and the river is flowing so strongly.”
The teen was treated by paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service at the scene and her condition is not thought to be serious.
For more water safety advice please click here.
Image courtesy of Smabs Sputzer, with thanks.
