A couple drowned Monday night as they tried to rescue their beloved pet dog from a reservoir in Bao'an District, Chinese-language newspapers reported yesterday.

The couple, whose identities were not disclosed, were walking with four other dog owners to Bao'an Niuzui Reservoir after dinner Monday evening, the Daily Sunshine said.

The body of a man who drowned Monday night in a reservoir in Bao'an District, Shenzhen. The man, 24, and his 20-year-old girlfriend jumped into the reservoir to save their pet dog although they were not good swimmers. The dog swam back to the bank itself.

Their dog jumped into water and swam to the middle of the reservoir. It was out of sight in a few minutes, which made the couple panic, fearing the dog was drowning, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The male owner, 24, jumped into the reservoir despite that he was not a good swimmer to rescue the animal, the newspapers said.

Minutes later, his girlfriend, 20, who was also a poor swimmer, jumped into the water to save both the dog and her boyfriend after she lost track of them, the reports said.

"I saw the girl was struggling soon after she jumped into the water, and realized that she couldn't really swim," said a witness surnamed Chen who was also walking his dog at the reservoir. He immediately called the police.

Rescuers initially failed to find the couple. An officer at a nearby labor center told the Southern Metropolis Daily that the couple was likely to have been trapped by the mud at the bottom of the 10-meter deep reservoir.

Two hours later, the bodies of the couple were located at the bottom of the reservoir. They were confirmed dead, while the dog swam back to the bank itself.

The Daily Sunshine said both victims were residents of the Baishilong residential community next to the reservoir.

"The couple would not have died if they had known that dogs are born with an ability to swim," said a vet at Shenzhen Safari Park who gave only his last name Xie.

(Shenzhen Daily September 5, 2007)