Heartwarming video shows the moment RNLI volunteers saved a dog that had fallen 14ft down a sheer wall into the River Thames.
Gravesend RNLI was called to the scene on the north shore of the Thames, near Tilbury Fort, by London Coastguard around 6.45pm on Friday.
Video shows the crew arriving to find the dog stranded on a perch and desperately clawing at the metal wall, while his owner watched helpless from the Thames Path above.
The tide had been due to rise for another 10 minutes, but as the dog fell in directly across the river from where the Gravesend crew is based, they took less than a minute to arrive on scene.
The dog, which is believed to be called Freddie and appeared to be a Labrador cross, could be heard whimpering as the boat approached.
The crew pulled the dog from the water and wrapped him in a towel before returning him to his owner.
RNLI Thames Commander Andy Colley said: “We had already had a busy day, what with a tasking at 8.21am to Erith and then a day of exercise. We were just getting ready for shift handover and the direct line from London Coastguard rang.”
RNLI volunteer Aaron Reynolds added: “It’s always a great feeling to witness the reuniting of a dog with its owner, especially after jumping a 14ft [4.3m] wall into a wet landing in the Thames!”
It is far from the first animal encounter Gravesend’s lifeboat crews have had in recent months.
In February, one team was delighted to spot two adult dolphins and a calf swimming in the Thames at Northfleet heading in the direction of London.
