Dramatic footage shows the daring rescue of a dog that got stuck in an icy river.
After nine-year-old Labrador Hardy found himself in difficulty, RSPCA inspector Jaqui Miller had the dangerous job of attempting to save him by sliding across the ice on her front in an effort to reach him.
Firefighters secured Ms Miller by a rope and she used a pick to help her along the frozen River Wansbeck in Ashington, Northumberland.
She said: “We were really worried about poor Hardy as he had been stuck in the ice for about an hour in the freezing cold water.
“He had been out walking with his dog walker when he had run into the river not realising that the minus six degree weather we’ve had recently had frozen the water.
“His dog walker told us he’s so used to paddling in the river and the sea that he just bounded off hoping for a little swim.”
The incident happened last December but the footage has been released ahead of The Dog Rescuers’ Christmas special, which will air at 8pm on Boxing Day on Channel 5.
