VIDEO: Rescue dog becomes a hit on social media

A rescued Staffordshire bull terrier named Jessie was honoured by the Boksburg SPCA for saving her 13-year-old four-legged brother, Chucky, from their family’s swimming pool, in Impala Park, on April 9.

The seven-year-old hero dog received an Animal Bravery Award and hamper full of treats and goodies from the SPCA on Tuesday last week and Chucky received a pamper voucher from The Doggy Parlour.
Both dogs also received new blankets.

“It was a fabulous morning. It was a privilege for all of us to meet Jessie and present
her with our award.
“It was well-deserved after she spent more than a half an hour trying to save Chucky from drowning,” said Vicky Finnemore, manager of the Boksburg SPCA,

The owners of the dogs, Byron and Melissa Thanarayen, said they noticed during that fateful day that Chucky’s head was wet and decided to look at their security footage to establish what happened.

In the video, which went viral, you see Chucky losing his footing and falling into the pool. A short while later, Jessie arrives and follows Chucky around the pool trying to pull him out. Jessie struggles to get a grip on the little dog, but he perseveres.

There are a few times Chucky almost makes it out but falls back into the water. Eventually, after about 34 minutes, Jessie gets a grip and pulls Chucky to safety.

“It was heart-wrenching to watch, even though Chucky was sitting next to me and I knew he was safe,” said Melissa.
Following this incident, the Thanarayen family decided to set up a website, www.herodog.co.za, to raise funds for the Boksburg SPCA.

They will sell merchandise and a percentage of the proceeds will go to the society.

“We want to show our appreciation to the Boksburg SPCA, especially since we adopted Jessie from the SPCA about five years ago. We’re so grateful for Jessie and so proud of her,” Byron said.
Jessie was previously adopted then returned to the SPCA because she didn’t get along with the other dogs in the first family she went to. She, however, immediately stole the hearts of her new owners.

The family thanked Aqua-Net, which sponsored them a pool cover.

Finnemore also encouraged dog owners to cover their pools, especially if their animals are small.

Melissa said they did not expect the rescue video to go viral on social media.
“Byron uploaded it to Facebook and Youtube and I shared it on Instagram. We just wanted to show our family and friends that Jessie saved my doggy – she doesn’t even
like water! Since then, even a few international publications, such as Daily Mail,
approached us and shared her story.”

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