Blind dog saved from drowning in icy sea... after builder gives it the kiss of life

Hero: Builder Matt Darlington hugs Tosca, the dog he saved with a kiss of life

A blind dog that had stopped breathing for ten minutes after plunging into the icy sea was saved - after a burly builder gave him the kiss of life.

Tosca, who is almost entirely blind with cataracts, toppled 20 feet into the water when he strayed over a wall near Plymouth, Devon.
His owner Sylvia Paskins watched in horror as her beloved 13-year-old pet sank beneath the waves.

But passer-by Matt Darlington jumped into the freezing sea fully clothed and swam to Tosca's rescue.

The elderly dog was lifeless when he was pulled from the water - but the 37-year-old builder spent ten minutes performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until Tosca spluttered back to life.

Ms Paskins, 59, from St Budeaux, Plymouth, said: 'I saw his head go under and he was just gone. It was horrible.

'I shouted to some blokes who were sat outside having a cup of tea and straight away they were trying to row out to him.

'The next thing I knew one of the blokes ran around and jumped in. He swam out to him then slung him into the boat.

'When they got back he wasn't breathing at all. He was dead. He was totally still, like a little rag doll.

'One bloke kept rubbing his lungs and trying to get him to breathe, then another one opened his mouth and blew some air into him.

'It was like a miracle. All of a sudden we could hear him gurgling and then he just started to breathe again. They were absolute heroes.

'The bloke who gave him mouth to mouth was absolutely brilliant. If it wasn't for him Tosca would never have survived, he's just so lucky.'


Ruff seas: Sylvia Paskins and her beloved pooch Tosca, who was brought back to life when a builder gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation


Mr Darlington said modestly: 'I'm just glad the dog is okay. It was very cold but when he disappeared I didn't think about it, I just dived in.

'When we got back I held him upside down first to get the water out of his lungs, then started giving him the kiss of life.

'It must have been ten minutes before he started breathing again. I was just afraid he was going to come round and bite me on the nose.'


source: dailymail