Man 'cheated death' after trying to rescue dog

AJ Abrar jumped in to a river to save his dog Bonnie who remains missing

A man believes he "cheated death" when he woke up on a log in the middle of a river after jumping in after his dog during Storm Claudia last week.

AJ Abrar, from Redditch, Worcestershire, jumped into the water at Arrow Valley Country Park on Wednesday to help four-year-old Bonnie who had been washed away.

Last week, the West Midlands was hit by several flood alerts and river levels higher than usual.

Mr Abrar said he was not losing hope of finding Bonnie, who has still missing and said he has since been referred for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) therapy.

Discussing the incident, he said: "It's been very traumatic. I've been in touch with counselling services who have referred me to my GP for PTSD therapy.

"I actually cheated death. I jumped in the river without thinking that I've got a little family here as well, my two girls.

"The water current was really fast flowing and we got stuck under a log. The river was full of debris and the water wasn't going on top of it, it was being sucked under it.

"I was holding onto Bonnie with my left hand and my right hand was on the log, holding us but the water just kept sucking us in."

Bonnie has not been seen since she was washed away in Redditch last week

Mr Abrar said he held onto his dog for as long as he could but said he was forced into a "split second decision".

"I looked at her, right in her eyes and she looked at me as well," he recalled.

"It was like a movie scene and I just let go and thought to myself 'this is it, I can't hold on anymore'."

He added: "After I let her go I fainted and I don't know how long I was unconscious but the next thing I knew I was on top of that log and the water was flowing over me."

Mr Abrar said he and his family have not given up hope of finding Bonnie

After he woke up a person passing by alerted the emergency services with police, ambulance and the fire service attending the scene.

"They put a rope on me and pulled me out. I don't know what I was doing at that time because I tried to jump in again," said Mr Abrar.

The Redditch man described his dog as "like my daughter" and said since he lost her he has been "having trouble sleeping" and added: "I get agitated or really scared whenever I think about those events."

Despite there being no sightings of Bonnie, Mr Abrar said he had not lost hope and has continued searching.