When I was walking my dog, a raven swooped down and tried to capture it in its claws for an afternoon snack, assuming it was an exceptionally large rodent (sorry, Smudge). A kangaroo, on the other hand, is not something you’d expect to see on your dog walk—unless you live in Australia, of course.

Mick Moloney was walking his dogs by the river in Mildura, Victoria, yesterday (15 October) when he realized one of his pets was gone.

Because the ex-police officer’s canines enjoy swimming, he combed the river for Hutchy. Moloney had no idea what his eyes would finally glimpse.

Warning: This video contains footage of an animal and a man fighting.

Guy saves his dog from being drowned by a kangaroo
byu/WeirdlyOrdinary1 inaustralia

Moloney glanced down at the river and saw a 6-foot-5-inch-tall kangaroo bulging with muscle and looking at him.

As it continued to stare at him, the dog owner saw the animal’s arms were under the water, and his pet suddenly surfaced from beneath.

“Hutchy came up gasping for air, water spilling out of his mouth, screaming his head off,” the dog’s owner told 7News’ Sunrise.

“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?'”

Moloney had no intention of going into the river and creating a big bunch of noise in order to scare the kangaroo into leaving Hutchy.

But when it became evident that it wasn’t going to let go any time soon, the dog owner had no choice but to act, describing the experience as “surreal.”

Moloney raced into the water to confront the kangaroo and save his beloved pet, and the incident was filmed on camera.

The kangaroo is seen in the video carrying Hutchy with both hands, the dog’s head slightly above the water. Moloney is heard telling the kangaroo, “Let go of my dog.”

Thankfully, the kangaroo appears to obey the command, extending its arms and releasing the dog from its clutches.

Inadvertently destroying the gesture by lunging towards the dog’s owner.

As Moloney and Hutchy rush to get away, the phone falls into the water, and the kangaroo raises its huge arms once more.

Moloney had a few scratches as a result of “a bit of a wrestle,” but he, Hutchy, and the kangaroo are said to be mostly unhurt.

Kangar-phew.