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Pictured: Man 'risks his life' to save drowning sheep from freezing river

Dog rescue - Leslie Flower / SWNS
Dog rescue - Leslie Flower / SWNS

A man risked his life to save a "drowning" sheep that had been chased into a river by an out-of-control dog.

The man, whose identity is unknown, leapt into River Wharfe in the Yorkshire Dales to rescue the animal from "fast-flowing" water on Saturday.

Leslie Flower, who witnessed the incident, said the sheep ran into the river "with the dog barking and biting it".

He added that it was "so scared it ran towards the fast-flowing part of the river with the dog also following".

Dog rescue - Leslie Flower/SWNS
Dog rescue - Leslie Flower/SWNS

"The rapids immediately took both of them down the river, but the sheep was struggling because of its wool being soaked so it couldn't swim," he said.

"The dog got to the side and ran onto the rocks, but the sheep was turned upside down because of the weight of its sodden wool. Its head was under water and it was drowning."

Mr Flower said a man on the bank who had witnessed the event "braved the fast-flowing river, wading across the freezing cold water and at one point fell down which could have been disastrous".

Dog rescue - Leslie Flower/SWNS
Dog rescue - Leslie Flower/SWNS

He added: "He eventually reached the distressed sheep, which was very close to drowning. He turned the sheep over so it could breathe and eventually managed to drag it over to the bank where it started to recover."

He praised the man for risking his life, and said that "at no point did he think of his own safety".

"He was so brave and deserves to be recognised for his brave achievement," he said.

Mr Flower added that he hoped the incident would remind people to keep their dogs under control, especially near farm animals.