WELL-KNOWN local actor and theatre director Gary Meredith played out a drama on the River Usk which saved the life of his drowning dog Sam.

Man turned out to be a dog's very best friend when Gary leapt into the water to rescue the ailing pooch who had overdone it on the ball-fetching front.

A lazy amble along the river on the Bank Holiday weekend with friends proved a little bit more energetic and exciting than either man or beast had bargained for.

Cross-bred terrier Sam soon found himself in difficulties as he retrieved the ball from the river, a favourite pastime for the little chap who thinks he's a labrador.

Gary, who lives in the Merthyr Road area of Abergavenny didn't think twice about jumping in to recover his exhausted five-year-old rescue dog who was no match for the strong current.

"Sam went under a few times, so I decided to wade in. I was up to waist - and after another step I was in up to my neck," he said.

"I was surprised at how strong the current was. I was at the point of no return. I realised I was in a bit of a jam.

"But I kept going and was able to grab him. Sam just looked at me in the eye and licked my hand, as if to say thanks."

There was little time for pleasantries as Gary, who used to run the Gwent Theatre Company, soon realised he was in a perilously fast-flowing river from which there was no exit.

As in all good dramas, he was eventually able to clutch an overhanging branch and scramble up a bank and through a hedge to safety.

"I emerged from the river through nettles and brambles looking like Worzel Gummidge," said a fairly fatigued Gary after his five-minute do-or-die ordeal.

He was re-united with his pals and treated them to a pick-me-up at the nearby Bridge pub in Llanfoist where afternoon punters were agitated to see a sopping stroller in the unrehearsed role of the creature from the Blue Lagoon.

The landlord was more than happy to accept his soggy banknote from a drenched wallet, which fortunately also survived the tragi-comedy in his back pocket.

"I did what I did because Sam was not going to make it - and I may have gone the same way. Thank goodness the adrenalin kicked because otherwise I could not have done it all," said a breathless Gary.

For the moment he and his four-legged swimming companion will not be going too near the water.

A friend of Gary's, who tipped off the Chronicle about his pal's heroics, said, "They were lucky they didn't drown. Sam is a very lucky dog to have such a caring owner - and I am so proud to have him for a friend.

'They say a dog is man's best friend - but it was the other way round this time!"