Dogs saved from reservoir at Cheltenham Golf Course in Melbourne by family on evening walk

Two dogs have been rescued from a reservoir in Melbourne, after they were spotted by a family on an evening walk.

The pair of beagles were trapped in the water and “in distress” at Cheltenham Golf Course on Park Rd about 9pm on Tuesday, a FRV spokesperson said.

“We were just out walking our dog ... we looked down at the water and a dog’s there flapping away,” one of the unnamed rescuers said.

“A bit of doggy paddle going on.

“Then we saw another one.

“We sort of jumped the fence and tried to keep them out of the water with a big branch.”

The family called Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), who arrived in six minutes.

“The caller reported the dogs had been swimming for at least 10 minutes and were struggling,” the FRV spokesperson said.

“They could not touch the bottom of the reservoir, and it was too steep for them to get out.

“There was a 3m drop into the pond, which was covered in plastic and slippery.

“Upon locating the dogs in the water, firefighters immediately conducted a rescue operation ... which involved luring the dogs to a more accessible section of the reservoir before a firefighter attached to a rope line descended to the waters’ edge and retrieved the dogs, one at a time.”

The dogs were brought to shore within 10 minutes of the FRV crew’s arrival.

“The animals were exhausted and shivering, so crews wrapped them in towels and blankets,” the FRV spokesperson said.

“The owner, who was in the area searching for the animals, was contacted by a number located on the pets’ collars and took them to the vet.”

It is unclear how the dogs got into the water, which required them bypassing a secure fence.

Witnesses speculated they may have been chasing ducks.