German thanks life to dog

paderborn - A 44-year-old German woman owes her life to her dog. She fell in Paderborn (North Rhine-Westphalia) on Wednesday afternoon in the now freezing river Alme, but got help from her four-legged friend.

Her dog, by loud barking, drew the attention of a hiker in the neighborhood and led him to the scene of the disaster. The man drew the upper body of the unconscious victim above water. The alarmed rescue services informed the woman.

She was taken to a hospital for further investigation, but is out of danger. Her pet was accommodated in an asylum pending the recovery of his boss. How the woman ended up in the Alme is still unclear. The police assume an accident, wrote the Westfalen-Blatt.