Amazing moment Patsy the sheepdog swims through Storm Babet floods to rescue three ewes trapped by rising waters
- The plucky pooch bounded into floodwaters to round up the stranded sheep
- READ MORE: Weather warning tracker and graphics show path of Storm Babet
This is the amazing moment a brave sheepdog rounds up three sheep at risk of being trapped in floodwaters and herds them away from danger.
Plucky pooch Patsy swam across to help the ewes after owner Llyr Derwydd went to check on his sheep in Flintshire, Wales on Friday afternoon during Storm Babet.
When the 44-year-old, from Ruthin, Denbighshire, realised the trio were at risk of becoming stranded – or worse – he sent the courageous canine out into the waters to coax them though the waters to safety.
Heartwarming footage shared by the sheep farmer on social media showed him calling out and whistling at Patsy as she chased the ewes along the edge of the field, before they found a shallower spot to furtively tread across.
‘Patsy! Good girl, good girl,’ Mr Derwydd calls out as she successfully routes the trio onto dry land, away from the encroaching flood waters, before joyously bounding back to her master for a pat on the head.
Patsy bounds into the water without a thought as farmer Llyr Derwydd commands her to round up the stranded ewes
Patsy (seen to the right of the image in the water) routes the sheep into the water, where they gingerly make their way onto dry land
Mission accomplished as the sheep retreat onto dry land away from the floodwaters as Patsy (to the right) continues spurring them on
Good girl! Patsy comes bounding back to Mr Derwydd for a pat on the head after a good job well done
Mr Derwydd said that Patsy was a strong swimmer and had no trouble reaching and rounding up the sheep
Sheep farmer Llyr Derwydd (pictured with his wife Emma) shared the footage of Patsy online
X – formerly Twitter – users were full of praise for Patsy after she went above and beyond to rescue the stranded ewes
Dad-of-three Mr Derwydd shared footage of Patsy’s good work on X, formerly Twitter, where it has been watched thousands of times – earning her some new fans.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: ‘We thought we’d better go check, make sure all the sheep are safe, and that’s when we saw the three ewes stranded on this little spot on the field.
‘It was getting smaller and smaller so we thought we’d better get them off and make sure they’re safe.
READ MORE: Leeds Bradford airport reopens after TUI plane skidded off runway in Storm Babet weather chaos
‘I just thought, “I’ll see if the dog will go”. I gave her the command and she swam across.
‘It was quite dangerous because I didn’t know how deep it was. She’s a strong swimmer and she was able to swim across.
‘I knew she was quite a good swimmer otherwise I wouldn’t have done that, but I was quite surprised that she didn’t have any issues, she just went.
‘(It) saved me getting wet and getting into a dangerous situation and saved the sheep so it was perfect.’
One X user who watched the video said: ‘great dog..good work..gwaith da (good work)!’
Another added: ‘Awww what a brave and clever doggo…doing what she loves – braving water too!!’
A third wrote: ‘Awwwww her little tail at the end…She’s so proud of herself.’
Another social media user suggested that a T-bone steak would be a worthy reward for Patsy after her efforts.
But as a working dog, Mr Derwydd said, rescuing ewes is all part of the job – with her rewards extending to ‘a pat on her head’, being told ‘she’s a good girl’ and an extra dog biscuit.
Traffic Wales said flooding caused the A483 in Powys and the A55 in Flintshire to be closed, while Mr Derwydd said it was ‘a mission to get there today’.
Flood alerts remain in place for much of northern and central Wales, particularly in the east of the country, as the UK continues to contend with the effects of Storm Babet.
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