Heart-Stopping Moment Woman Climbs Over Railing To Save Dog Stuck on Bridge

A dramatic video that captures a dog being rescued off the side of a pier by a woman has shocked viewers across the internet.

The viral video, which has been viewed more than 94.8 million times since it was shared to Instagram on January 1, filmed the nail-biting rescue which saw a young woman climb over a bridge barrier to a lower ledge to pick up the dog after support from a nearby man. The video can be seen here.

The courageous woman then passed the dog, who had been clinging on to the ledge, over to a man who had been waiting on the other side of the barrier to help.

Large crowds cheered as the rescue effort proved successful, but it wasn't without difficulty because the dog initially barked and backed away from the woman, seemingly lacking trust in such a delicate position. She then had to lunge forward and grab him. Loud fireworks had also unsettled the anxious dog.

It was left unclear why the dog had gone over the pier barrier, and what happened to them afterwards, but it is clear that the pup was taken to safety.

The video's creator Cristina Zhang, who goes by @cristinayongyong on the platform, shared the tense moment on her Instagram.

Long Beach
A file image of a bridge in LA. A viral video captured a man and woman rescuing a dog from a bridge in Long Beach. Getty Images

The post had been captioned "A girl saved a dog at Long Beach," which is located in southern California, in Los Angeles County.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it had been shared to the social media platform on January 1 by @cristinayongyong, the Instagram post has been liked by over 5 million users and commented on more than 20,000 times, making it the creator's most widely shared post to date.

Thousands of Instagram users have taken to the post's comments section to voice their shock and horror at the dog's predicament.

"Kudos to the boyfriend for saving both the lady and the dog," one user wrote.

Another user added: "Everyone is praising the girl which is also right but can we take a moment to praise that boy who strong pillar."

"I hope this girl is having the most amazing life," a third user shared. Another user replied: "As she should." "Amazing," wrote a fifth user.

Newsweek reached out to @cristinayongyong for more information via Instagram.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Melissa Fleur Afshar is a Newsweek Life and Trends Reporter based in London, United Kingdom.

Her current focus is on trending ... Read more

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