A truly heroic man in Brazil saved a dog by breaking its fall when it dropped 100 feet from a balcony.
The dog was mischievously exploring a balcony when it fell over the edge, dropping almost 100 feet.
The startling moment when a heroic neighbour saved the dog from crashing into the ground after it fell from the balcony has been caught on camera.
The scenes were recorded by a security camera at an apartment block in the city of Ribeirao Preto in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
Augusto seems to be gauging where the dog is likely to land, then takes a step to his side as the white dog comes flying towards the ground at high speed. The man manages to break the pooch’s fall with his arms and is sent crashing to the ground by the impact.
The dog, a white female Shih Tzu named Mel, amazingly survives the fall and can be seen running off, seemingly unharmed.
Local media report that Mel had fallen 30 metres (98 feet) from the ninth-floor flat where she lives.
Augusto had reportedly spotted the Shih Tzu barking and climbing the railing on the balcony from an adjacent flat and rushed down to try and save the dog’s life if she fell.
In the video, the dog’s saviour Joao Augusto can be seen stood next to a parked car looking up with his arms out.
Watch it here:
He spoke to reporters about the event, saying:
I asked for a towel or a sheet to help in some way, but there wasn’t enough time. Then, she fell from the ninth floor. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to catch her but I was aware that I could cushion the fall.
I was on the floor for a few seconds but it was from relief. I think that I was in the right place at the right time. I did what I could, the most I could to help. It was a joint effort with the caretaker who acted quickly to help the dog. It was a happy ending.
The caretaker of the building, Paulo Narciso, had reportedly opened the gate of the building for Augusto when he came sprinting towards him.
Narciso said:
I didn’t really understand at the time, I opened the gate and went with the man. We got there and saw that the dog was curled over the railing and was going to fall. I went up to the flat but the owner wasn’t home.
When I went back down the cleaning lady told me the dog had fallen and that he had grabbed her.
Thankfully, it has been confirmed that neither Mel nor Augusto were injured in the incident and the dog’s owner, who asked not to be identified, has installed protective netting on the balcony to prevent the incident from happening again.
Augusto is the definition of a hero after saving the little dog’s life.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.