Stranded in a Flooded Vineyard, Saved by a Village: River’s Rescue Touches Hearts Everywhere

After a dog was spotted struggling to stay afloat in a flooded vineyard, Vredendal residents sounded the call for help, and one man braved waist-high waters to rescue the animal... The post Stranded in a Flooded Vineyard, Saved by a Village: River’s Rescue Touches Hearts Everywhere appeared first on Good Things Guy.

May 20, 2026 - 14:44

Stranded in a Flooded Vineyard, Saved by a Village: River’s Rescue Touches Hearts Everywhere

After a dog was spotted struggling to stay afloat in a flooded vineyard, Vredendal residents sounded the call for help, and one man braved waist-high waters to rescue the animal and bring it to safety.

Vredendal, South Africa (20 May 2026) – Vredendal, in the north of the Western Cape, experienced severe flooding yesterday, with bridges in Matzikama, which link the area’s towns, severely damaged. Within the rising waters was a small dog, soaked, cold and stranded.

When word spread about the dog trapped in a flooded vineyard, the Angel Project was among the first to respond and rally others to help. The bridge closure, however, made it much harder to reach the dog.

But one incredibly courageous man was willing to get into the floodwaters to reach and rescue him. Chris Barnard from Point S Vredendal braved the submerged vineyard near the bridge, while members of the Angel Project stood nearby with rope, towels and a dog cage.

A touching video showed Chris carefully making his way through vast, muddy, waist-high water with the dog in his arms, carrying him to safety.

“The hero here is Chris; he went in when many were standing and watching. Thank you to Anja, one of our directors, who was ready to go into the water if Chris needed help. Thank you to Liesl, who raced with me to the bridge. Thank you to everyone who phoned and asked if they could help. It takes a village, so proud of the people of Vredendal,” the Angel Project shared in a post.

The dog, appropriately named River, was taken straight to Dr Chris at the Vredendal Dierehospitaal / Animal Hospital where he has been undergoing treatment after his ordeal.

“He is eating well, he is shy, yet friendly and just gorgeous. River, generally, is not in good condition. We got him NexGard Spectra to deal with the external and internal parasites.”

Photo Credit: Angel Project via Facebook

The Angel Project is still searching for the dog’s parents. In the meantime, River has been booked in for grooming, to be neutered, vaccinated and to undergo chemo for a couple of weeks for TVT (Transmissible Venereal Tumour: a highly contagious, sexually transmitted cancer in dogs).

“When we took River to the vet this morning, I could see that he had TVT, and my heart sank. TVT is rife in our area, one of the reasons we try to sterilise as many animals as possible. It is totally preventable if the dog is sterilised, and it affects both male and female dogs. We have seen the suffering of animals as they near the end of life with TVT that has not been treated.”

The weekly chemo treatment comes at a cost, as do the other treatments needed. The animal rescue charity is now appealing for donations to help give River a fighting chance.

Donations can be made to the vet’s banking details:

Dr Chris Van Dijk Vet Spec
ABSA Vredendal
4109847757
Ref: Angel Project 15542

Proof of payment can be emailed to angelprojectsa@gmail.com

A huge thank you goes out to: community members who raised the alarm, Chris for going all out, the dedicated members of the Angel Project team, the veterinary team and every other role player who helped save this stranded doggo. Get well soon, River, you have an entire village behind you!