HOUSTON, TX — A man in Houston saved his neighbor's dog after the pooch's leash got caught in the apartment building's elevator as it moved up, according to news reports and surveillance footage posted by the man.
The surveillance footage shows the dramatic incident unfold as the man, Johnny Mathis, exits the elevator and a woman gets on with her dog walking behind her. While the woman makes it on to the elevator, the dog gets left behind with its leash caught in the doors.
The video shows Mathis rush to free the dog, struggling with the leash. When he gets the leash off, Mathis picks up the dog in his arms.
In an interview with CNN, Mathis, 27, said the dog's owner could be heard frantically crying from inside the elevator when she realized what had happened.
"Instinct just kicked in, I just grabbed that leash," he told CNN. "There was so much fur, that's why it took me a bit to get that lever off of the collar and when I did, I let go, you could see that leash just shoot off to the top of the elevator."
The owner was thankful for Mathis' actions but still visibily shaken from the event.
Patch has reached out to Mathis for more information.
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