A boy was rescued by the West Rand K9 Search and Rescue Unit after he managed to swim to an island in the Monument Dam but could not swim back to land when he tried to save a pit bull from drowning yesterday.

Sergeant Reinier Henning from the unit says they responded to a call at about 16:20 after young man got stuck in Monument Dam attempting to save a dog.

It seems a pit bull had fallen into the water where the dam had a steep slope and couldn’t get out. The boy saw that the dog was in trouble and went into the water to save it. He managed to reach and island but could not swim back to safety and needed to be rescued.

Henning says they noticed that the boy was bleeding, and Sergeant Bertus Venter swam out to him to assess his condition.

He says the boy suffered from hypothermia and had cuts on his face and arms. Paramedics treated the boy after he was rescued.

The pit bull also survived the ordeal and has since been reunited with its owner.

Henning says they are grateful that there were no fatalities.