Lifeboat crew rescue woman found clinging to a ladder in the River Thames after a failed bid to pull her pet Labrador from the water
- Woman was knee-deep in water in the River Thames near Wandsworth, London
- Both the woman and the Labrador were rescued successfully by a lifeboat crew
- The Royal National Lifeboat Institution urged pet owners not to dive after pets
This is the moment a lifeboat crew had to rescue a woman who had become stranded in the River Thames after trying to rescue her pet dog.
The woman was up to her knees in water in the River Thames, near Wandsworth, and was clinging to a ladder when she was rescued on September 9.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) released footage of the rescue and urged pet owners not to risk their own lives saving their pets.
The video shows a lifeboat from Chiswick RNLI helping the woman.
She had tried to retrieve her Labrador from the water while clinging to a ladder, but had become stuck.
A lifeboat crew had to rescue this woman after she became stranded in the River Thames when she tried to rescue her Labrador
The lifeboat crew later arrived and pulled both dog and owner to safety.
The unnamed woman was uninjured, the RNLI said.
Helmsman Glen Monroe said: ‘The woman was unable to help her dog back up the ladder, and the shore-side firefighters were unable to get to her. Our attendance prevented this situation from deteriorating.
Both woman and dog were rescued successfully and The Royal National Lifeboat Institution urged pet owners not to risk their own lives saving their pets
‘We always advise owners not to follow their dog into the water and put themselves at risk but to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.
‘We can reach a distressed dog very quickly and return it safely to its owner.’
The incident was the seventh dog rescue in the area this year, according to the RNLI.
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