Dog rescues drowning child

A black Labrador Retriever named Bear recently became a major hero when he saved a 14-month-old child from drowning. When the toddler fell into the family swimming pool, Bear leapt in and kept the child afloat until a parent came to the rescue.

It’s a lovely story and 100% true (read it on petside.com), but very few Auckland households have a rescue dog to watch out for their small children. However we do have Hilton Brown Swimming, the learn-to-swim experts who work with children as young as three months old.

“Our infants programme is all about teaching water confidence, like how to do jump in, turn around and swim back to the side of the pool. We also teach young children to back float, which is a handy survival skill if they ever fall into a swimming pool”, says Ingrid Sharp of Hilton Brown Swimming.

It’s never too early or too late to improve your child’s water safety and swimming skills. And it’s certainly easier than teaching the family dog how to perform a rescue! Hilton Brown’s experienced teachers work with children aged from three months to secondary-school-age, using a staged programme that ensures kids have fun while they make steady progress.

There’s a Hilton Brown Swimming class near you – call your local pool to talk about your child’s needs. Summer – with all its swimming pools and beaches – is never far away, so do it today.