A Chinese woman’s determination to save her dog during severe flooding in China’s Guangxi region has moved millions online.
The viral clip on July 7 with the caption, “The woman didn’t abandon her dog even at the most dangerous moment,” garnered more than 4.79 million views in a day.
The over two-minute-long video shows a woman and her Border Collie struggling through powerful floodwaters while trying to make their way alongside a wall.
Unable to touch the ground, the woman clings to the wall to stop herself from being swept away. Meanwhile, the dog, with nothing to hold onto, is repeatedly dragged away by the strong current.
Each time the dog is pulled away, the woman reaches out with one hand to grab it and push it back towards the wall.
At one point, both are swept backwards by the rushing water, making it seem as though they might be carried away.
Thankfully, bystanders at a nearby corner jumped into action. One person entered the floodwaters while another extended a bamboo pole, eventually pulling both the woman and her dog to safety.
The woman’s determination quickly moved netizens.
“Watching this made my palms sweat,” wrote one commenter.
Another said: “She managed to grab the dog every single time. She’s like a superhero.”
Many also echoed one of the video’s most-liked comments: “You don’t abandon family.”
One user wrote: “One’s first reaction on the edge of life and death is the hardest to fake. By not giving up on any life, this owner, like those who rescued her, shines with the most beautiful light of humanity.”