A GOOD Samaritan has been hailed a hero after saving a drowning dog.

Arnold Rogers was taking his Jack Russell, Reggie, for his regular walk round Tatton Park when the terrier suddenly chased a duck into the lake.

Minutes later, the terrified dog was splashing about, struggling to survive.

A man who spotted what had happened jumped into the water, swam out and rescued Reggie.

“He took his coat and shoes off and jumped in,” said Arnold, from Knutsford.

“I was blown away. He swam out quite far, about 20 feet and came back with Reggie.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to him.”

Arnold is so relieved that the young man happened to be there at around 3pm on Monday, October 10.

The kind-hearted man, in his early 30s, told Arnold his name was Jake Barnes but didn’t leave any contact details.

Arnold said: “If another 30 seconds had gone by, Reggie would have drowned.

“I would have been ever so upset if I was to lose him.

“It isn’t like Reggie to chase a duck. He started to get disorientated and was swimming the wrong way, further out.

“He got completely lost and was tired.

“I really panicked and was calling to him.

“It was really remarkable that this man jumped in.

“When he came out and handed me Reggie, he made sure we were both alright before he went to dry off.

“His jeans and jumper were drenched.

“It all happened so quickly, I didn’t get a chance to thank him properly.

“I am ever so grateful for what he did.”

Reggie made a good recovery and spent the afternoon relaxing at home in front of the fire.

Arnold, enjoying his retirement from the armed forces, said he still intends to take his beloved dog for regular exercise at Tatton Park.

“Reggie is a very determined dog,” said Arnold.

“He thinks he is more capable than he is, a young pup when he is in fact nine-years-old. He's a bit like me, I think I'm a young man when I'm not.

“This won’t put me off our walks but I’ll be keeping a much closer eye on him.

“However, it is nice to know there are people out there willing to help in an emergency.”