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The tale of brave Sam

Lynn Freeman's dog Shera fell into a flooded river

Lynne Freeman writes:

I used to run my own boarding kennels, cattery and livery in Cumbria. I did this for ten years before retiring to Carnforth. We bought a large farm house with four acres of land and several outbuildings which we had converted to a boarding kennels for dogs whose owners were on their holidays and a rescue department for strays and occasionally other animals that had been seized by the RSPCA and Animal Concern in South Cumbria.

We also made a cattery and a livery for horses. One two acre field was used for free running exercise for “trusted” dogs who promised not to jump over the fence and run away. There is a beck running along the bottom of this field, which depending on the rain fall was either a slow running trickle or a very fast moving torrent. This is a story about a happening in the kennels regarding some dogs on their holidays.

One morning in February I was in the field with 8 large boisterous Labradors and one very old German Shepherd bitch called Shera. Shera had arthritis in her back legs and had no interest in playing with the Labs but was happy to totter along quietly keeping close to me and enjoying the scents and watching the Labs fooling about. There had been a lot of rain and the beck was almost to the top of the banking running fairly fast with a number of broken branches and debris swirling past. Two of the younger Labs raced down to the edge and jumped in having fun swimming about trying to grab the pieces of wood and barking loudly.

Shera turned quickly towards the barking and losing her balance toppled into the water. I called out to her and she struggled to get up the slippery banking towards me but she fell back into the water. She swam to the other side of the beck but could not climb out at that side, as it was fenced up to the edge of the water. She turned again franticly doggy paddling with her front legs but because of her arthritis could not use her back legs. She was very frightened and was too tired to swim back again. Shera was beginning to be carried along by the current and looked at me piteously as her hind quarters sank down into the very cold water.

I had no choice but to jump in, and the freezing water came to just above my waist soaking into my jeans, the heavy padded jacket, and filling my Wellingtons.

I caught Shera by the collar and with one arm round and under her chest we struggled to the near side embankment. The Labs were all out of the water now making a fuss and the banking had become very slippery. I could not get up the side with only one hand free and Shera was shivering with cold, her front paws with very sharp claws were scrabbling at my legs.

Sam, one of the more sensible big dogs is a Labrador crossed with a Great Dane who belongs to my daughter; he was staying with us while she was on holiday. I called to him and he came right down to where I was struggling He seemed to asses the situation at once and pushed his neck towards us allowing me to get a good grip on his collar, fortunately a substantial well fitting leather one. He slowly heaved his way up the slippery slope and dragged us right out onto the grass He then started to lick Shera’s face who was badly shocked and shivering with chattering teeth..

We were exhausted and freezing cold. The other Labs were dancing around us with great interest and we all trooped back to the kennels. Soon, with the heating full on, many towels and reassurances later, all the dogs dry and warm and with Jane McDonald’s CD sending them all off to sleep, I could go back to the house for a shower and change of clothes.

My husband came home from work and said “It must be lovely to be able to stay home in the warm while I have to go out.”

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