PUBLISHED ONSeptember 02, 2026 4:02 AMBYLaili AbdeenA video of a father lowering his daughter into a narrow crevice using a makeshift harness to rescue a trapped puppy has gone viral online.
The video, posted on Weibo on Aug 26, shows a three-year-old girl tied up in a makeshift harness before she is lowered into a tight gap in Shandong, eastern China.
In the video, the girl's father slowly lowers her down into the foliage and she scoops the puppy into her arms before her father pulls her up.
As she is hoisted back up, the toddler can be seen hugging the small black puppy against her chest. Her father sets her down, then takes the puppy and puts it on the ground as well.
According to China Press, the video was taken by a woman known as Ma, who captured her husband rescuing the puppy with the help of their daughter, Nan Nan.
The puppy, only a few months old, had reportedly fallen into a crevice by accident.
After the puppy was discovered by passers-by, Ma had initially asked her husband to save it, reported China Press on Sept 1.
However, the gap was reportedly less than 30 centimetres wide, making it almost impossible for any adult to fit through.
Their daughter reportedly volunteered to go down because she wanted to rescue the puppy "like a firefighter".
Nan Nan's grandfather used a professional safety belt, then fastened a safety knot and assessed it to be safe before the toddler's father lowered her into the gap, according to China Press.
The gap was reportedly four to five metres deep but Ma's daughter remained calm throughout the entire process.
After examination, the puppy reportedly suffered minor injuries and has been adopted by Nan Nan.
Netizens have praised the three-year-old's bravery and her parents' commitment to rescuing the animal, while others have criticised the risks of such actions, especially at the toddler's expense.
One comment wrote that the "[little] heroine is great, brave and calm" and another praised the entire family: "Angel baby, angel family".
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