Mel the Shih Tzu has got to be the luckiest dog in the world and she can thank her owner’s neighbor Joao Augusto for that.
Augusto was coming back home to his apartment block located in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paolo, Brazil when he happened to look up just as the apartment caretaker was opening the gate for him.
To his horror, he saw Mel at the edge of his neighbor’s balcony all the way on the ninth floor. Augusto started yelling to the caretaker, Paulo Narciso, to grab a towel or sheet although he soon realized that there wasn’t enough time.
So Augusto did the only thing he could and stood right around the area where he thought the dog would impact should it fall, which it did soon after. A CCTV camera captured the whole thing.
Augusto is standing beside a parked car with his arms out. Barely a few seconds later, Mel can be seen hurtling through the air with Augusto trying to catch her.
He only barely gets to grasp the dog before Mel slips through his arms and hits the ground. The action knocks Augusto to the ground but it was apparently enough because Mel can be seen happily padding around afterward without a care in the world.
Augusto recalls what happened: “Then, she fell from the ninth floor. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to catch her but I was aware that I could cushion the fall.
“I was on the floor for a few seconds but it was from relief. I think that I was in the right place at the right time.
“I did what I could, the most I could to help. It was a joint effort with the caretaker who acted quickly to help the dog. It was a happy ending.”
Narciso the caretaker also told the story from his perspective: “We saw that the dog was curled over the railing and was going to fall. I went up to the flat but the owner wasn’t home.
“When I went back down the cleaning lady told me the dog had fallen and that he had grabbed her.”
It was certainly a case of curiosity almost killing the dog but the owner was very grateful that neither Augusto nor Mel were injured. But just in case, the owner already installed safety netting to prevent Mel from repeating her stunt.