Video footage has emerged showing the shocking moment a heroic man saved a dog from being strangled to death, after its leash got caught in between some lift doors.
The video, posted to Twitter by Johnny Mathis, shows a young woman dressed in a black sports top and grey shorts, walking her dog on a leash as she enters an elevator in Texas.
Appearing not to realise her dog hadn’t entered the lift alongside her, the doors shut behind her and her Pomeranian dog was left behind – its leash stuck in between the doors.
You can watch what happens next below:
Upon seeing the incident, Johnny – who had exited the elevator just before the woman entered – immediately rushed to help the animal.
In the 38-second clip, the man can be seen frantically trying to remove the dog’s collar as the lead continues tugging on its neck. After a few tense seconds, he successfully manages to free the pup, who appeared to be frazzled by the incident.
Johnny then carries the dog in his arms and waits at the lift doors, after making sure the animal was safe and no longer in danger.
The video has since been viewed more than 18.6 million times, with thousands of social media users expressing their horror at what happened.
Johnny wrote alongside the video:
Y’all I’m shaking!!! I just saved a dog on a leash that didn’t make it onto the elevator with the owner before the door closed! I just happened to turn around as the door closed and it started to lift off the ground I got the leash off in time
In the comments section, many criticised the dog owner for her carelessness, with one writing: ‘How did she just walk into the lift expecting the dog to follow her in time lol’. Another wrote: ‘Nah this chick don’t deserve no damn dog.’
Others defended the dog owner, saying it was a complete accident and she wouldn’t have purposefully put her dog in danger. While one said ‘accidents DO happen though’, another wrote: ‘That definitely had to have been an honest mistake. No way she did that on purpose.’
The man was praised for his quick thinking in responding to the situation, with one person saying he did a ‘great job’, and another writing: ‘big ups to that dude’s quick reaction…may karma bless him accordingly.’
What an incredible rescue story. Hats off to Johnny, and merry Christmas to you!
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).