Students Rescue a Dog That Fell Into a Canal

Group of Guys Dangle Themselves to Rescue a Dog That Fell Into a Canal in Manchester

By Regina Sienra on February 20, 2023

Dog rescued Ancoats pic.twitter.com/WxJ9nNmzaZ

— Daibhidh (@Dbelldb1) February 13, 2023

Pups can do so much for us, whether they’re a service dog that can help with mental health issues or a search and rescue dog saving lives during a natural disaster. As hero is as we know they can be, sometimes dogs are the ones who need a helping hand from us. In Manchester, a group of guys noticed a dog in distress and sprang into action to do all they could to save it.

The daring operation also had a “being in the right place at the right time” factor. When students Jack Spencer Furmston and Ben Camphor were walking home, they saw a man struggling with a leash over a wall. When they got closer, they realized the man in question, film director Batu Akyol, was holding onto the leash of his dog Sumak, who had fallen into Ancoats Canal. The young students quickly jumped in to help, along with five other passersby. “Everyone was panicking,” Camphor recalled. “I couldn't let that dog down and not help, so I put my jumper down and sprung into action—climbing down first.”

As Camphor was the tallest of the group, he was dangled upside down by the legs so he could reach Sumak, who desperately held onto the wall. All the while, Akyol held tightly to the leash to keep his dog from being dragged away. In a video of the miraculous event, you can see Camphor getting lowered into the canal and then getting a hold of the dog's collar with his right hand, and placing his left hand under the dog’s front legs for support. The man is then pulled up by the group, as the pup desperately moves his rear legs in search of solid ground.

“I'm a dog owner myself,” Camphor shares, “so there wasn't a chance I was going to leave it on its own but I couldn't get it the first time.” Once the pup was safe and sound, the crowd who had gathered around the rescue operation clapped and cheered for the rescuers. Afterwards, both dog and owner were so happy they ran around the canal in celebration.

The video of the moving rescue, posted to Twitter by user @Dbelldb1, has earned over 75,000 likes, with dozens praising the efforts of those who put themselves in danger to save Sumak. In response to someone who wrote that their day had been made, Furmston tweeted, “Thanks fella, we only did what anyone else would do :)”

When a dog fell into a canal in Manchester, a group of passersby came together to save him, with a man having to be held upside down so he could reach the canine in distress.

@Dbelldb1 thanks for the video, we both were involved in the video, “Ben” as seen was the guy who risked hanging over!!!! pic.twitter.com/X4g2ENLlBp

— Jack Furmston (@ChickenFajita69) February 13, 2023