Photo: Newspix / Rex Features
Sue Drummond, the owner of the tiny Maltese-shitzu mix, feared the worst as she watch the little dog paddle in the waves, afraid it was the last time she would see her beloved Bibi. "I thought he was going to sink and then maybe I wouldn't be able to find him," she told the Herald Sun.
Raden Soemawinata, who was on the same pier dispersing his grandmother's ashes at the time, proved Drummond wrong when he swiftly removed his pants and shoes, then jumped into the bay to save the dog.
Photo: Newspix / Rex Features
Drummond quickly embraced Soemawinata and Bibi when they came out of the water. Check out more photos of the rescue in the UK's Daily Mail.
Love rescue stories? Check out these heroic pets saving people.
Amazing Pet Rescues
Hoagie was rescued from a California animal shelter by his owner William Morse, and the 5-year-old black Lab mix returned the favor on Tuesday, May 5, by saving Morse and his wife from a mountain lion attack in California's Santa Ana Mountains. The couple was hiking in the Cleveland National Forest When the 120-pound lion appeared out of nowhere. Hoagie, who threw himself in front of the couple, was badly mauled, but after undergoing four hours of surgery, is expected to survive.
CBS 2 / KCAL 9
Nathaniel Teafatiller, a two-year-old from Onalaska, WA, survived a cold April night in the woods near his home thanks to his four-month old dog. When it was discovered that the toddler had wandered out of the house, his mother feared the worst. But at 11 p.m. that evening, Nathaniel was found near a creek about a mile from his home. Dressed in only socks and a t-shirt, he was curled up next to Stanley. Rescuers believe that warmth from the dog's body helped Nathaniel battle the cold and dampness.
KIRO-TV Seattle
Back in November 2008, two-year-old Hannah began to choke on a pop tart while her babysitter Megan Howard was in the bathroom,
CBS 4 Denver
In another case of survival by puppy, two young dogs created a body heat blanket for a young boy who was lost outdoors in freezing temperatures overnight in mid-December 2008. After three-year-old Jaylynn Thorpe wandered off from his babysitter, a search team combed the area for 21 hours before finding the toddler and puppies huddled under a tree. Jaylynn told his mother, "I got cold. I slept in the woods last night. The puppies kept me warm."
WSET-TV
As if this face wasn't enough, there's another reason to love Buddy. In September, 2008, the German shepherd saved his master's life by calling 911. Buddy had been trained to assist when his owner Joe Stalnaker exhibited seizure symptoms, but 911 dispatchers were amazed when they heard barking and whimpering at the other end of the line. This was actually old hat for Buddy, who'd done it twice before!
AP
Black Lab Jake dug through the still-smoldering debris at the World Trade Center looking for victims after 9/11, becoming a national hero. He also helped search for survivors in New Orleans after Katrina, and did therapy work with children, seniors, and burn victims, before dying of cancer at age 12. Now that's one hard-working dog.
Alan Diaz, AP
Cats are heroes, too! Brooklyn stray Scarlet became famous after she rescued her five kittens from a fire in 1996, getting badly burned in the process. But this survivor made it out alive, was adopted by a loving owner and lived a long happy life until she passed away in 2008.
Chris Kasson, AP
Call her mother of the year: an Argentinean dog named La China rescued a newborn baby abandoned outdoors in August, 2008. The brave dog managed to carry the babe to her den where she laid him among her own puppies. Some time later the dog's owner, farmer Fabio Anze, found the little guy, perfectly safe and cozy (and completely free of bite marks). The 'miracle baby' was born prematurely to a 14-year-old girl in a small town outside the capital, Buenos Aires.
Corbis
Winnie, an Indiana house cat, saved her family from carbon monoxide poisoning by meowing loudly to awaken them back in April 2007. Her owner Cathy Keesling (pictured here) reported that Winnie had also warned the family of approaching tornadoes the previous summer. We hope this intuitive kitty's getting a lot of catnip these days.
AP
Elizabeth Wilkinson, photographed in March, 2009, with her two-year-old Bedlington whippet Chushla. Chusla is one of just six registered diabetic hypo-alert dogs in Britain, meaning she can smell when her owner is about to have a diabetic attack. When this amazing pup detects a change in scent when Wilkinson's blood sugar levels drops, she lightly bites on her owner's hand to alert her.
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Such a heart-warming story. So very glad that man was kind enough to jump into the bay to rescue Bibi. Although, it DOES beg the question why the woman didn't jump in herself. Had it been my dog, I wouldn't have thought twice ...
It was all a PR set-up. The dog was the victim indeed.
I agree.. and it makes you wonder why in the world she took such a small dog to the pier during a storm ?
Obviously she didn't want to die.. she didn't care if the dog did .. or she would have been the one diving into the water, not a bystander!
Too bad the dog has to go back and live w/ such a stupid "human".
why wasnt the dog on a leash?
Maybe the owner couldn't swim? That was my first thought. Otherwise, I am surprised that she didn't jump in myself. I know I couldn't stand by and watch my dog struggle. Thank God for Raden S! Such a wonderful guy!
I have to agree. If it were my dog, I would jump in to try to save it. Of course I would be one of those who would go back into a burning home to try to save my pet too. Many people would find that stupid, but sorry, not me. I never had children and I think of my pets as very much like children. They depend on me for love, safety, and shelter. I would do anything for them, and do anything to try to save them.
Congrats to the lady.. perhaps she will think twice before going to a pier in such bad weather.. and endangering her dogs life ? If she wants to go and get hurt.. fine.. don't take the dog, lady!
The man who saved the dog.. thank you.. the owner is not only stupid to go to the pier during a bad storm.. but she is stupid enough to take her dog and then.... when it falls in.. stand there and let it almost die! She should have jumped in for the dog.. not you. But thank you anyway.. for saving the life of an innocent dog..
Thanks
#1 YOU MADE THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE WOMAN COULD SWIM......NOTHING IN ARTICLE SAID SHE COULD.
#2 LIKE HER AND SO MANY I SEE DONT USE A LEASH THEN WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS THEY BLAME THE WORLD. THE LEASH IS FOR THE DOGS SAFTEY AS WELL KEEP HIM FROM BITING SOMEONE
#3 EVEN IF THE WOMAN COULD SWIM SHE APPEARS NOT TO HAVE STRENGTH TO BATTLE THE WAVES AS THE 'YOUNG' MAN WOULD HAVE.
#4 NO ONE SHOULD SHOULD BE ON THE PIER DURING A STORM...PERIOD.
But, darling, the chief question is did the rescuer have underwear? Was it all a set up? Where are the PR photos?
The picture is chilling when you look at that tiny dog struggling in the choppy water. If you view the pictures linked in the article, it really shows just how bad the wind and water were. How selfless and brave this young man was to jump in for someone else's dog, and at his grandmother's ash scattering, no less! Way to go, Raden....nice legs, too!
I want to give a big THANK YOU to Raden Soemawinata for his bravery in saving the dog I am proud of people like you that care for animals and for fellow people
I agree with you completely, Lynn. First off, I would NEVER take my dog out on a pier in gale force winds(myself either, for that matter). To make it even worse... it appears she took a dog weighing a sum total of 8 pounds on a pier in gale force winds WITHOUT A LEASH. Secondly, if my dog goes in, Im going after her....not stand there and watch and hope someone else does! If the young man had not stepped in, Bibi would have struggled until he drowned.
Why are people so insensitive to one another, this guy did a terrific job saving a dog's life and, what he gets in return?? your sour comments. What a world we live in. What a shame.
Actually, Ang...I did leave a positive comment right above this one....FIRST. However, it doesnt take away from the fact that poor judgement was used by the owner and thankfully turned out well, due to the young man's actions, which I praised. It's kind of ironic that you are commenting on the sour comments of others....with one of your own. LOL
I heard that dogs can tell and warn of seizures/epileptic attacks 20-minutes in advance too.
Jonathan: Yes, my dog has known I was sick long before the tests proved her right. She started about a year ago, just coming over to me in middle of night and laying her nose next to me as I slept and would give her a pat. Every time the drs. recommended another test, I would tell them "I will not pass this one either"since last year, I have been in treatment for lung cancer and my poor ten year old puppy that I found dumped in a brown box with other types of puppies at our local SPCA when she weighed four pounds, a bit of chow and another furry dog, she now weighs 60. She has been turning more grey around her face in past six months. Last night while looking at photo albums, some tears ran down my face not a sound, but she came over and once again put her nose next to me on the sofa. What would I do without her?? I hope this was not a publicity stunt for the innocent dog;s sake, but you never know.
So glad that young man was there to do his grandmother's last wishes, what a wonderful thing he did. That poor little dog would not have made it other wise. This was a window into his inner fabric ladies, go hunt him out and try to meet him..he's a good catch.
Maybe she couldn't swim????????
How ironic for him to be there to say goodbye to one life and save another. It was meant to be.
What the Herald-Sun later reported was that Soewaminata, who was drunk on paint thinner at the time, was actually there to urinate off the peir and got blown into the bay himself....he later told relatives that he grabbed hold of Bibi to keep himself afloat, and that the dog was so small that it was "a struggle to keep him under water and me above it"....he later admitted that he made up the story about his grandmother's ashes to "keep Immigration off his ass"....