A deaf dog which was swept a mile down a flooded river was found two days later – after it ‘surfed’ to safety on floating driftwood.
Simon and Jennifer Allen gave up hope of finding springer spaniel Jake alive after he jumped into the water during his afternoon walk.
The couple desperately scoured the riverbank for their beloved pet but were forced to give up the search when night fell.
Incredibly, while Simon was walking along the same stretch of riverbank two days later he spotted Jake sitting on a log under a bridge.
Simon, 51, said: “It was amazing. I’d given up hope of finding him alive because the river was fast-flowing and he must have been exhausted.”
“I was walking on the opposite side of the riverbank looking for his body when there he was sitting on a log under the bridge.”
“We’ll never know how on earth he survived, he might have clung to the log and surfed his way down to the bridge.”
“I was so happy to see him I waded in and gathered him up in my arms and took him home. Jennifer was amazed and burst into tears of joy.”
“Jake had survived 46 hours after he went into the water a mile up the river.”
Jake disappeared as he was being walked along the banks of the Kenwater near the River Lugg in Leominster, Herefordshire, at 4pm last Friday (20/5).
Simon, who runs a restaurant with his wife Jennifer, said: “We’d taken Jake and our other dogs for a walk.”
“Jake was in and out of the water, even though he’s old he still loves swimming.”
“I’d gone ahead to walk our Pointer Oskar in some fields when Jennifer called me to say she couldn’t see Jake.”
“He’d jumped in the water but hadn’t come out again. We searched for half-a-mile down river and past the weir but there was no sign of him.”
“I searched with a torch until 10pm but had to give up when it got too dark and resumed it at 5.30am on Saturday.”
“To be honest we thought he had probably drowned because he would have been exhausted and overnight it rained leaving the river very fast flowing.”
“At about 2pm on Sunday I was out again looking for his body because I didn’t think he would have survived but suddenly there he was under a bridge.”
“Our 13-year-old spaniel was in the river for 46 hours and had not only survived but had not only survived but so in true Jake style.”
“He had never given up. We got him home and he got some serious treats. After long sleep he’s back to himself.”
