Man Makes 50-Foot Plunge To Rescue Collie

Johnny Johnson Jr. didn’t even stop to think before taking a 50-foot dive off a bridge to save his fiancee’s dog.

“Animals are like your children. I just flipped off my flip-flops and dove in,” he said.

He and Lisha Lee stopped their car on the James River Bridge on Saturday while the span opened to let a boat pass, then got out with her 5-year-old miniature collie, Cosmo, to look over the side.

Cosmo tried to jump up on the railing, but sailed right over.

Johnson paddled over to the dog but had to release Cosmo after a few minutes: “He was pushing me under trying to get on my head.”

The two floated downstream for about 15 minutes before a passing boat fished them out, Lee said.

Man, woman and pooch were reunited at a nearby pier.