A gardener came to the rescue of a labradoodle named Jess after the dog plunged into the Thames River.

Julia Wylie was working in the garden of her client’s home in Putney, London, when the curious puppy jumped over the back wall and into the river. The dog had on an elizabethan collar which prevented the puppy from keeping his head properly above water.

Julia heroically jumped in after the dog to save him from drowning. Julia said, “I had no hesitation about jumping in.” But the current was stronger than she anticipated and she was unable to pull them to safety. She began treading water with Jess, holding the dog above water.


It took 10 minutes before a crew member on a passing Thames Clipper river-bus spotted the pair in the water and came to their aid.

Afterwards, Julia returned to her gardening work a bit wet and without her shoes, but before she left she put up chicken wire along the wall to help prevent Jess from jumping over the wall again.