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A photojournalist used his knees to break through frozen surface of a lake and saved a Golden Retriever on the verge of drowning yesterday noon in a city in Anhui Province, after alarmed local authorities reportedly said they would only rescue lives of humans beings.

The dog, taking a roam with its owner, accidentally fell into the icy waters when the frozen surface of the lake broke, near a public square in Hefei, provincial capital of Anhui, yesterday noon.

The dog was trapped inside the hole around the middle of the lake. When it was struggling and barking desperately, passengers-by reportedly made calls to both police and fire departments but they were told that 'they only rescue human beings, not dogs,' according to the local-based Xin'an Evening News, where the photojournalist Xiang Chunlei works.

Xiang, who was on an assignment nearby with his colleagues, came up to help the drowning dog. He got down into the lake and started breaking the frozen cover with his knees to reach the pet. The dog's owner, a young woman, also followed him into the lake.

With lower legs all soaked in the waters, the pair finally moved on for 20-30 meters after breaking the ice. The photojournalist then laid down his tripod on the frozen cover and pushed it towards the dog. The pet finally crawled up with help of the tripod.

"It's so touching that on its way back, the Golden Retriever suddenly headed back, ran towards Xiang and cuddled him gently as the crowd on the bank broke into loud applause," the report said.