A WOMAN who jumped in a River Great Ouse to save her dog from drowning had to be rescued herself by a passing boat. Sue Millard, who lives in Somersham, had been walking her four-year-old Boxer dog, Bertie, in Hemingford Meadow on Friday, June 20, when h

A WOMAN who jumped in a River Great Ouse to save her dog from drowning had to be rescued herself by a passing boat.

Sue Millard, who lives in Somersham, had been walking her four-year-old Boxer dog, Bertie, in Hemingford Meadow on Friday, June 20, when he leapt into the water.

But Bertie was unable to climb out of the steep, slippery banks and Mrs Millard, 55, said she leapt into the river to save him.

"I didn't jump in automatically and I didn't take the decision to go into the water lightly as I'm a wife and mother and have other people to think about," she told The Hunts Post.

"But I could see Bertie had started panicking and was in trouble and it was a case of seeing my dog drown or try and help him."

Once in the water Mrs Millard said she 'wrestled' the dog to the side of the bank and pushed him out of the water, but then found that she was unable to pull herself out of the river.

Mrs Millard, who works as a dispenser at a surgery in Swavesey, added: "I just held on to the bank wondering what to do next. Because of the strong current, deep water and thick reeds, all I could do was grip on to the banks and hope someone would see me. It was a very dangerous situation to be in and looking back it seems very surreal."

After about 20 minutes she spotted two women on a boat and shouted for help. The boat backed up towards her and she grabbed a tyre on the back of it and was towed along the river to safety. A man who was walking in the meadow and who had heard Bertie barking came to the riverside and pulled Mrs Millard out of the water.

Mrs Millard of Whitehall Close, said words cannot express how grateful she is to the people who rescued her.

"These people were very, very caring and I can't thank them enough. I don't know what might have happened to me if they had not been there."

Reflecting on her ordeal, the mother-of-two said it had left her too scared to walk Bertie at Hemingford Meadow. She said: "I would be frightened walking on my own in the meadow in case something like this happens again, as I don't think you get another chance in life.