IF Sally the exhuberant labrador was a cat, her owners reckon she would have used up eight of her nine lives by now.

Last month ten-year-old Sally made front page news in the Daily Echo when firefighters risked their lives in a dramatic rescue operation to save her from drowning in the fast-flowing water of a Hampshire weir.

She recovered brilliantly from her watery ordeal - only to be diagnosed with a tumour on her bowel which necessitated a major operation.

But as soon as she was able, the loveable labrador made a beeline for Eastleigh fire station to say a special doggie 'thank you' to her rescuers from Red Watch.

Sally had been out for a walk with Mrs Joyce Barrett of Beresford Road, Chandler's Ford, and Mrs Barrett's friend Mrs Gillian Poole of Westwood Gardens, Chandler's Ford, when the dog chased a swan and ended up in the swollen waters of the Itchen Navigation.

The dog was swept over a waterfall and down five steep weir steps - installed as a salmon leap - at the disused Allbrook lock before somehow getting onto a tiny brick plinth where it became trapped amid a torrent of water.

After first thinking Sally had been swept to her death, the worried ladies borrowed a mobile phone to contact the fire service after spotting the dog clinging to a precarious perch.

Eastleigh firefighters installed a safety net downstream in case any of the crew or the pet were swept away before firefighter Steve Watters climbed down a ladder and coaxed Sally into a canvas equipment bag so that the dog could be hauled to safety.

Mrs Barrett, said: "I really thought I had lost her but the firefighters did a marvellous job in very difficult conditions.

"They did so well - I was worried about the guys as much as Sally. All I can say is a great big thank you to them."

Mrs Poole was also full of praise for the dramatic rescue operation which at one point nearly saw the rescuers' ladder swept away.

She said: "What struck me was their professionalism."

Sub officer Malcolm Crisp said: "It was quick thinking by leading firefighter Anton Phillips who realised the seriousness of the situation.

"He mobilised the multi-role vehicle with all animal rescue equipment early to make the rescue as safe as possible.

"We were pleased to help - and we are chuffed to bits that the dog has recovered from her subsequent operation."