Most dogs are great swimmers and loyal protectors. So perhaps it’s no surprise that a canine went into full emergency mode when the child it was watching seemed to fall backward into the ocean on a beach near Gouville-sur-Mer in France.
The video of the rescue immediately went viral after it was posted in 2018.
A day at the beach
According to Metro UK, a little girl was playing near the shore with her grandfather’s dog, Matyas. It’s unclear what kind of dog he is, though the outlet mentioned guesses ranging from Sarplaninac to Keeshond, perhaps with some Newfoundland thrown in.
Simply splashing in the water, the fact that it was all caught on video means there were human eyes on her as well throughout the encounter.
So when she tipped back a bit, she would have clearly been safe – had she been in trouble at all.
But seeing the foamy waves crash over his charge was too much for Matyas and it seemed the situation an emergency. And that meant it was time to head in for a rescue.
Dogged determination
Of course, one can easily drown in just a few inches of water, but the little girl was clearly just playing around and she can be heard giggling the entire time.
She’s just a water lover who seems to enjoy having the waves lap over her head!
But to the dog, she’s a human who’s gone under. So he reaches for her t-shirt immediately to pull her to “safety.”
The sweet – but unnecessary – gesture was apparently just as fun as playing in the waves.
The little girl doesn’t struggle but instead continues to laugh her way through her short trip to shore just a few feet away.
To his credit, the dog is very gentle with her and – aided by the waves – drags her toward dry land.
Good boy, Matyas!
But since her bottom is on the ground throughout, there’s clearly not far to go.
For a moment it looks like she’d rather the rescue be over, but quickly regains her sense of fun. After all, she’s got a great dog by her side!
Back to the beach
Our brave rescuer isn’t content to see her regain balance. In fact, even when she’s clearly safe and out of most of the water, Matyas goes back in to drag her a little more.
This ain’t over until the dog is satisfied that the ocean can no longer claim her.
And she’s still got a case of the giggles, so we know it’s all good. (Not to mention that there’s no human intervention beyond recording the moment.)
Finally, she’s ashore.
But there’s one more tug for good measure as if to say “young lady, you will get to this beach and stay on this beach!”
However, if we know the (roughly) 5-year-old crowd, we’re pretty sure she went straight back in. We’re just not sure what Matyas thought of that.
According to Metro UK, the scene was filmed in early August, and by the time they published their story on August 14, the video already had over 1 million views!
After all, it’s nice to know that when there’s a hint of trouble (especially for our little ones), our furry friends can be counted on to save the day.
Be sure to scroll down below to see the footage of the well-meaning rescue.
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