A very lucky dog has been reunited with its owners after being swept into the Waimakariri River north of Christchurch last night.
Coastguard North Canterbury said a duty officer received a call from police just before 10pm on Monday after a dog was swept into the river a few kilometres upstream from the State Highway 1 bridge.
"The dog was located on an island in the middle of the river, and the owner tried to swim across and retrieve her, but the current was too strong," a spokesperson said.
The decision was made not to risk anyone re-entering the water, with the Coastguard team then asked to assist.
Volunteers headed to the area with their truck and Blackwell Rescue to look for the dog, searching the north side of the riverbank for a couple of hours – but finding nothing.
Coastguard North Canterbury said searchers found the dog on the stopbank as they were returning to their meeting point.
"Clearly spooked, we carefully herded the dog back into the arms of her incredibly happy owners," the spokesperson said.
The organisation said the outcome was a "great result".
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