Caught on video: The heart-warming moment paddle boarder on 600-mile trip rescues Shih Tzu puppy stranded on rocks
- Charlie Head was part way through an epic journey from Cornwall to London when he came across the puppy stranded on rocks in rising water
- The 33-year-old came to the rescue of the shivering Shih Tzu, plucking him from the rocks and on to the safety of his paddle board
- The terrified puppy, called Bam Bam, would have drowned if Mr Head hadn't rowed past and spotted it
- The heroic rescue was captured on video thanks to a camera fitted in the rower's helmet
Paddling furiously through choppy waters off the Kent coast, extreme rower Charlie Head was almost on the closing stretch of a gruelling bid to row 600-miles from Cornwall to London.
But when the 'gobsmacked' 33-year-old spotted a bedraggled Shih Tzu puppy stranded on rocks, he dropped all thoughts of his endurance challenge and swiftly changed course to pluck the terrified animal from the rising water and safely onto his paddle board.
Mr Head, who said the dog - called Bam Bam - would have been submerged within ten minutes had he not spotted him, even captured video footage of the heroic rescue thanks to a camera fitted in his helmet.
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Lucky dog: Stranded Bam Bam, seen safe in the arms of rescuer Charlie Head, was moments from death when the extreme rower paddled past
Mr Head, from the Isle of Wight said: 'I was gobsmacked. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
'He was just sat there wondering what the hell to do. He was absolutely terrified.
'In about ten minutes the rock would have been covered with water. I managed to paddle out to him and then get him on my board.'
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The rower, who said tiny Bam Bam was the type of dog more likely to be discovered peeping from a woman's handbag than venturing into choppy waters, said the petrified pup snuggled down on the board as Mr Head paddled it to safety.
'He was terrified when I picked him up but I think he soon realised I was trying to help.
'And when he felt safe he snuggled up between my legs and we headed back to shore. It is incredible that he was able to get out there - this is not a big tough dog.
'It is the sort of animal people carry around in their handbags.'
Dog in danger: The video footage shows Mr Head's paddle board (left) as the rower made his way towards stranded Bam Bam (left, circled), who was stranded on rocks surrounded by rising water (right)
Rescue: Mr Head grabbed Bam Bam (left), and placed the brown and white Shih Tzu safely on his paddleboard (right)
Safe at last: Mr Head said the petrified pup, left, snuggled down in between his legs (right) while the rower paddled the dog to safety
The intrepid rower rescued Bam Bam on Monday as he rounded Hampton, off the Kent coast, en route from Cornwall to London as part of his training for a 3,000 mile cross-Atlantic trip in a one-man rowing boat.
Mr Head embarked on the challenge in July, setting off from Land’s End and rowing as far as he could every day before sleeping rough or staying with friends each night.
In video footage taken from the rower's helmet camera, Charlie can be heard saying: 'He’s just sat out there like a little dude, wondering what to do.
'He definitely needs a rescue - in about ten minutes he’ll be completely covered in water.'
Charlie is training on his paddle board as he prepares for a 3,000 mile cross-Atlantic trip in a one-man rowing boat
Heart-warming: Mr Head rowed Bam Bam to the safety of a nearby pub where the adorable pup was tended to by barmaid Chelsea Clark
After Mr Head rowed Bam Bam to safety the dog was whisked to the nearby Hampton Inn pub, where landlord Stuart MacKenzie took it under his wing and barmaid Chelsea Clark wrapped up the shivering pooch.
'He was stranded on the furthest rock out,' the barmaid said.
'He would definitely have drowned as there was no way to get back and the tide was coming in.
'We were calling him Pebbles until the dog warden look at his microchip and found out his real name,' she said, adding that she planned to keep Bam Bam if the Shih Tzu's owner isn't traced.
Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies said: 'We are trying to contact the owner. For the meantime Bam-Bam is safe at the Lord Whisky Animal Sanctuary.'
Mr Head, who went on to complete his journey, is preparing to set out on his epic trip across the Atlantic in two months' time.
'It was great to help the little dog hopefully the good deed will bring me a little luck and help me complete the rest of the challenges,' he said.
VIDEO: Watch rower Charlie Head rescue Bam Bam the stranded Shih Tzu
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