A bullmastiff and its owner were plucked from safety by a lifeboat crew after falling into the Thames.
The owner was out rollerblading with his pooch in Nine Elms, Wandsworth, when the dog leapt over the river wall and plunged into 10ft deep water yesterday afternoon.
When he noticed his pet was in danger the man climbed over the river wall and waded into the swollen river.
He was able to reach his dog and pull it back to the south shore.
However, both owner and dog became trapped at the water's edge with no route to climb up the footpath 10ft above them.
It was only two hours before the river would flood the shoreline they were standing on.
A lifeboat crew from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was alerted to the incident and travelled to the scene.
Kevin Maynard, who was at the duty helm, said: "They were lucky the tide wasn’t coming in or they would have found the beach they were stood on flooded quickly.
"We took the boat up the beach and they climbed aboard. We then took them to safety at St George’s Wharf Pier.
"In this case the dog and its owner ended up safe and we even shook the dog’s paw, but these situations can all too easily put human lives at risk.
"Heavy rains and strong currents have made conditions on the River Thames especially dangerous at the moment so I would urge people not to enter the water after their pets."
RNLI advise dog-owners to stand on the bank at an easy place for the dog to get out if they are in a similar situation.
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