CHENGDU (XINHUA) - A video of a stray dog retrieving its puppies from a swollen river recently surfaced on social media, arousing widespread sympathy and respect among netizens.
In mid-August, the Minjiang River, which flows through Pengshan District in the city of Meishan, south-west China's Sichuan Province, flooded due to torrential rain that had lashed the province. A mother dog and a litter of five puppies, believed to be strays, were trapped on a grassy island in the middle of the river.
Mr Xiang Qinggui, an avid swimmer and a citizen of Pengshan, rescued the mother dog and one of its puppies.
"I heard many people say the dogs were trapped in the river as I worked on equipment in a winter swimming base nearby, so I waded through the water and brought the dogs to the shore without much thought," said Mr Xiang.
Some passers-by also joined in the dog-rescuing mission. They waded through the water and saved two puppies with a string bag.
As Mr Xiang was preparing to venture into the river again to save the remaining pups, he was dissuaded by the police and citizens who feared the risk was too high.
At that very moment, the mother dog took the three rescued puppies to a safer place and ran back to the shore.
"The mother dog appeared very anxious, as it saw the remaining stranded puppies. It bypassed the police, jumped into the river and carried its fourth puppy to the shore in its mouth after a persistent search," citizens at the site were quoted as saying.
In quick succession, the mother dog returned and carried its last puppy through the raging current of the river and set it down on the shore.
As all the six dogs arrived safely ashore, rounds of applause erupted from the onlookers.
At present, the mother and its puppies have been adopted by Ms Ren Hongqiong, a citizen of Pengshan.
"I was at the scene when the dog-rescuing mission was conducted. The dogs were soaked through. I took them home as I am a dog lover, and also I have a yard to raise them in," said Ms Ren, adding that she named the mother dog Wangwang.
After learning the story, the public security bureau of Pengshan reached out to Ms Ren to help her register her new pets.
