The Ukrainian city of Odessa was hit by flash flooding caused by heavy rains on July 11, 2012.
Teenager Vladimir Maksimov was out with friends when they noticed a mother and her puppies trapped in the flood waters.

One of his friends filmed him as he swam out to help the dogs.
According to translations, the mother and all but one of the puppies, drowned before Vladimir could reach them.
But he managed to save one. The water was very dirty and cold and a there was a strong undercurrent.

Using a drifting branch to hang on to, Vladimir slowly paddled back to shore, holding onto the puppy tightly.
The puppy had swallowed a lot of water but was saved when taken to the vet. Vladimir named the puppy Lucky and decided to keep him.

Vladimir rescuing Lucky from the floodwaters.