For Chucky, a 13-year-old Pomeranian, April 8 began like any other day in the garden of his home in Boksburg City, South Africa, with Melissa and Byron Thanarayen. Thanarayen tells Daily Paws that while they’re gone, the couple normally arranges for outside access for Chucky and their other two dogs, Jessie, a 7-year-old black Staffordshire, and Ponco, a 10-year-old Pom.
But something strange happened someday. “My wife and I were out on a meeting. We noticed Chucky’s head was moist when we returned “He informs Daily Paws about it. “We looked throughout the home for a place where he could have gotten wet, but we couldn’t find anything.”
They’ve lived in the house with the pool for nearly five years, but the dogs are used to swimming with the couple and never by themselves, so they felt it was strange that the dog would jump into the pool on his own. Despite Melissa’s insistence that Chucky had been in the pool, the couple double-checked their closed-circuit surveillance tape to make sure.
The Thanarayens were stunned by the video from their surveillance camera, which showed poor little Chucky slipping off the edge of the pool and falling straight into the water. The little dog fights to stay afloat for more than 30 minutes, paddling madly and unable to return to the pool stairs.
It’s difficult to watch as the Pomeranian attempts, again and again, to get out of the pool, but he can’t get a grip on the sides. Help arrives in the guise of big sister Jessie after several minutes, presumably brought to the pool by the noises of Chucky’s splashing.
The rescued Staffie emerges from the side yard and paces at the pool’s edge, visibly worried at the sight of Chucky alone in the water. Jessie reaches down to take Chucky in her jaws every time he swims up to the pool’s edge in an attempt to save him. The little dog escapes her grasp each time. Jessie appears to untie a coiled pool hose to build a makeshift life preserver to save her brother at one point. What a clever dog!
Jessie never gives up trying to save the smaller dog from the water throughout the heart-pounding footage. The video captures the entire rescue attempt (well, trimmed in the middle for brevity) as this brave young lady works hard to bring her tiny pal to safety while Chucky treads water and searches for a way out.
“It was hard to see Chucky in the pool,” Thanarayen tells Daily Paws, “especially though he was right next to us [later on].” “Knowing that he swam for so long astounded and heartbroken us.”
Thankfully, despite their struggle, both dogs are recovering well.