Owner rescues heavy dog from ruff rapids

A young Chongqing man rescued his 35-kilogram dog from a river by holding it above his head for two hours as he waited for rescuers, local media reported Tuesday.

Hu Xiaodong jumped into the waist-deep river after his dog, a full-grown border collie, accidentally fell in around 1:30 am on Monday.

Unable to climb up the steep river bank with his pet in hand, Hu held it above his head to keep it above the surface as passers-by called police.

Firefighters arrived and were able to reach the stranded pair at 3:25 am.

"We saw a young man standing in the waist-deep river and holding a big dog. After a while, he held his dog over his head and talked to it sometimes," said Gou Mingqiang, a Chongqing firefighter.