Hero Jumped Into Water to Save Drowning Dog -- Real or Faked?

Since making worldwide news when he jumped into a bay to rescue a drowning dog blown into the water by gale force winds, Raden Soemawinata of Melbourne, Australia has been deluged with hundreds of messages on his Facebook page. From Sweden to Korea, strangers have been reaching out to congratulate him.

Still, some people have had a hard time believing the story, convinced it was some sort of set up. Well skeptics, believe it!

Speaking to Paw Nation by phone from his home in Melbourne, 20 year-old Raden laughed good-naturedly when we quizzed him about the incident. "No, it's not at all a setup," said Raden. "I did what I did, not knowing what was happening."

A chef who works at Coda Restaurant and models on the side, Raden was walking on Brighton pier with his sister and other family members last Sunday. As they looked for the perfect place to spread their grandmother's ashes a man approached them and asked if they had any rope. They didn't.

"Then we figured out what the rope was for and that the gentleman was a photographer for [Australia's] Herald Sun covering another story down along the pier," Raden said. "I asked my sister to hold my suit, and she said, 'Are you sure?' And I said, 'Yeah, why not.'"


Once most of his clothes were off, Raden jumped over the railing, swam to the exhausted-looking dog, Bibi, and holding him with one arm, used the other arm to swim back to the dock. "It all kind of just happened," Raden explained to Paw Nation. "I didn't really think about it that much."

Back on land, Bibi's owner Sue Drummond gave the rescuer a big hug and said thanks. "She wanted to jump in, but wasn't a strong swimmer, so she was very grateful," said Raden.

Last week, Raden was reunited with Sue and Bibi for an awards ceremony. Animals Australia, a welfare group, awarded Raden its Compassionate Citizen Award. The young Australian is a bit flummoxed at being hailed as a hero. "I'm not sure if it's the right word," Raden said. "I'm sure a lot of other people would have done the same thing."

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Tags: animal news, AnimalNews, bibi dog, BibiDog, brighton melbourne australia, BrightonMelbourneAustralia, coda restaurant, CodaRestaurant, raden soemawinata, RadenSoemawinata, sue drummond, SueDrummond