Youngster hailed a hero after saving elderly woman’s dog from pond
AYOUNGSTER has been hailed a “hero” after she saved an elderly woman’s dog that got into difficulty in water. The young teenager was in Rosshall Park when she noticed the pet get stuck in the pond on Sunday afternoon.
James McKay, from Pollok, witnessed the incident while in the park walking his own dog.
The 52-year-old said: “I’m a bird photographer in the park. I was looking for an owl in the tree and I could hear a dog whimpering and barking.
“I walked around to the pond and saw the young girl in the water. The dog was stuck in the water lilies.
“It was about five feet out in the water and the girl was in the water up to her waist. She got the dog out after about three minutes, but I don’t know how long she was in the water before I got there.”
The small brown dog had its harness and lead still on.
James added: “The owner was very upset, she was shouting at the dog ‘come on come on’.
“You know what people are like with their pets. She was an elderly woman so that dog would have meant a lot to her.
“After the girl got the dog out, the woman was really excited. She was asking the girl her name and couldn’t thank her enough. I told her ‘that was brilliant, well done’.”
After getting home, James contacted “Crookston and Pollok Community” Facebook page, which shared a post about the ordeal.
It has since attracted more than 700 “likes” and nearly 100 comments.
James wrote: “Hi there, I was over Rosshall Park at the pond when a little dog was stuck in the water lilies and was struggling to get out.
“The owner of the dog was an elderly lady but a young girl named Lana (not sure of spelling) jumped in up to her waist in the water and managed to get the dog out. It was an act of kindness that she took a chance on her own safety to free it. “Well done that girl.” Those who run the page added: “Well done that young girl! Lana you are a wee hero!”
James said the dozens of comments praising the girl are well deserved.
He said: “I contacted the page because I thought it was a nice thing to do. It was very selfless. A lot of kids get a bit of a bad reputation. It was really nice of the wee lassie to get in and get the dog out.”
One person in the comments wrote: “Well done Lana, hope you are proud of yourself and your parents should be proud they raised such a caring girl. You saved the wee dog and the older lady a lot of heartache.”