I want to find the man who saved us from drowning

A woman who had to be pulled out of a river after she jumped in to rescue her dog has said she would love to be reunited with the man who saved her life so she can "thank him with a pint".

Alexandra Szilvasi rushed into the River Trent at Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, on Monday after her spaniel, Snickers, dived in after a ball.

The 36-year-old said her "mind went blank and she just ran in" after the 10-month-old puppy looked like she was struggling against the strong current.

"I don't know if we would still be here if it wasn't for the man," she added.

It was Alexandra and Snickers's second time visiting Gunthorpe.

"We live in Bilborough, and I thought just for a change of scenery I'll take her down there and we'll have a pub lunch.

"It wasn't supposed to be anything special," she added.

The delivery driver said she and her pup had walked for about 40 minutes before she started kicking a ball for Snickers - who she describes as a cross between a springer spaniel and a cocker spaniel - to chase.

She added it then deflected off a rock and went into the river.

"Snickers saw it and just did a big belly jump into the water," Alexandra said.

"She swam a good two or three metres, but the current was so strong that she stopped and I thought the water was going to take her."

It was at that moment that Alexandra, who cannot swim, decided to climb down a ladder on the water's edge to try and rescue Snickers.

"I was about chest deep," Alexandra said. "I hooked both feet around the bottom of the ladder and leaned out as far as I could.

"Just as the current started to take Snickers, she started swimming again, enough so I could grab her and bring her to the ladder with me.

"It was awful. Freezing and then we were stuck because I couldn't climb back up and hold her at the same time."

After about five minutes in the water, Alexandra said a man who had been fishing further down the bank arrived to help.

Alexandra said she handed him Snickers so she could climb out.

"I was in shock," she added.

"I do feel like we maybe wouldn't be here without him."

She said he told her they were "very lucky" as he was not from Gunthorpe, but Beeston, roughly 15 miles away.

Alexandra said the man left very quickly, which meant she was unable to ask for any of his details.

"We just really want to say thank you and take him out for a pint - or whatever he wants," she added.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said it "commends the bystander for their bravery, which contributed to saving a life" - but that it "strongly advises members of the public never to enter the water to rescue people or pets".

"In any situation where someone is in difficulty in the water, please call 999 immediately and ask for the fire and rescue service," it added.

Alexandra said although what she did might not have been "wise", she felt she had "no other options".

"I just had to go in, she's my dog," she added.

"I always wanted a dog, because they are great for your heart, great for everything.

"The house would be empty without her."

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