By KLTV Newsdesk –

A one-year-old pointer-labrador cross has lived up to his name after being pulled from the treacherous banks of a fast-flowing river in a dramatic aquatic rescue operation.

Crowds gathered anxiously on a bridge above the River Dearne in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, on Wednesday (December 3), after hearing the frantic barking of the stranded pet.

The dog, named Lucky, was trapped on steep, muddy banks covered in dense undergrowth near the Old Moor Tavern at Broomhill, making it impossible for members of the public to reach him.

With the animal in peril, a crew from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue deployed a boat, paddling upstream against a strong current to reach the exhausted pup.

A Team Effort

The operation was captured on video by RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Danielle Drury, who was at the scene alongside specialist animal rescue volunteers from HARTSAR and K9RSQ.

Danielle described the tense moments leading up to the rescue.

“We got a call from a member of the public who heard him barking and howling in distress,” she explained.

“It’s a really steep drop where he was, and when I got there, he was just curled up on some reeds at the bottom.

“He must have exhausted himself with all the barking.

“But fire and rescue had also been alerted to the scene, and they managed to get the boat to him.

“You could tell how powerful the current was because they struggled to paddle upstream.”

Once the fire crew reached the bank, they were able to secure Lucky and transport him to safety.

Danielle added: “They got him back to the bank and handed him over to me. He seemed fine. He wasn’t cold or wet, and a member of the public fed him some sausages.”

Mystery Over Ownership

Despite the happy ending, mystery surrounds how Lucky ended up in such a precarious position.

When his microchip was scanned, the registered owner claimed to have “rehomed” him unofficially several weeks prior.

It remains unclear whether Lucky escaped from a new owner or was abandoned on the riverbank.

“I’ve no idea how he got there or how long he had been there – whether he was dumped by the new owner or got off his leash or what,” Danielle said.

“When I got there, he was just curled up asleep on some reeds, so he might have been there a while and exhausted himself.”

Home for Christmas?

Remarkably, the liver and white pup appeared to be in good health despite his ordeal.

After being treated to a jar of hot dogs by a bystander, he was checked over by a vet and taken to private boarding kennels.

Next week, he will be transferred to the RSPCA Sheffield Animal Centre.

“He’s a really, really lovely dog. He was happily walking along with the fire brigade; he was good with everybody at the vets,” Danielle noted.

“I think he was just happy to be out. A lady had a jar of hot dogs that she fed him.

“He’s maybe a little lean, but otherwise, there are no major concerns about his condition at all.

“He’ll go to the Sheffield RSPCA branch and stay there until he can be rehomed.

“Some of the people at the vets fell in love with him as well and wanted to rehome him, so fingers crossed he will be rehomed in time for Christmas.”

The rescue comes as the RSPCA braces for a spike in abandonment reports over the winter months.

The charity has launched an urgent appeal, The Big Give Back to Animals, to raise funds for frontline officers dealing with cruelty and neglect.

Anyone interested in rehoming one of the many rescue dogs in RSPCA care can search via the charity’s website.