THIS is the heartwarming moment a hero Staffy saved its doggy friend from drowning in a backyard swimming pool in South Africa.
CCTV footage shows the black pooch mounting an epic 34-minute rescue of the Pomeranian who had fallen into the pool in Boksburg City on April 8.
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Sensing that its friend was in danger, the seven-year-old black Staffordshire terrier repeatedly paced around the pool and reached into the water to try and reach the 13-year-old white pooch as he battled to stay afloat.
The heroic Staffy, named Jessie, kept reaching into the water to grip Chucky but his wet fur repeatedly slipped from her mouth.
Finally, using all her strength after 34 minutes she dragged the exhausted mutt to safety and they scampered away together.
Chucky was unhurt after the incident but their owners worried about what happened when they saw the two pooches wet.
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Pet owner Byron Thanarayen said him and his wife Melissa watched back the security camera by the pool to check what the two dogs might have been doing.
He said: "We tried to look for clues as to where he could have wet his head. We thought maybe he dipped his head in the water, but there was no mess in the house to support this suggestion.
"It was heart-wrenching to watch. We still struggle to watch that video today, just thinking of what could have happened if Jessie was not there."
Byron added that the heroic pooch was a troubled rescue dog adopted by the couple four years ago.
The couple was her third adopted family after her previous fosters returned her to the shelter.
He said that previous owners complained Jessie was difficult with other animals but "she got along with our other two dogs from the word go".
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He added: "I'm really proud of her, considering she is the youngest.
"Our dogs know how to swim but they always swim with us and not when we are not with them."
To prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, the couple is now hiring workers to install a cover for their pool.