A WOMAN who contacted the Daily Echo to thank a fisherman for saving her dog from being washed away in a river has been reunited with the rescuer.

Mandy Goldsmith, of Bear Cross, contacted the newspaper to thank the man, whose details she didn't get at the time.

Now, that man, Richard Broome, 46, of Kinson, has got in touch and the pair have been reunited at the spot where black retriever Sadie was saved. He said he came forward because his son, Callum, 10, was worried about Sadie.

Mandy said: "I'm very grateful to Richard. If it wasn't for him I would have lost her, she would not have come back because she has a poorly leg anyway."

Richard added: "You just do it automatically, it's not something you think about doing. If you see an animal in distress or danger you just help."

The drama unfolded at the end of July when Mandy was walking 12-year-old Sadie along a river at Millhams Park, near Longham.

The pooch decided to jump into the water for a swim, but was soon taken downstream. Mandy couldn't reach her, which is when Richard and his friends helped out.

Richard found a stick and managed to get Sadie to bite onto it, allowing him to drag her ashore.

It's not the first time he has come to the aid of an animal in trouble - a few years ago he saved a cat that was stuck on the top of a lamppost in Kinson.