River could not contain her excitement when her new owner's mother arrived at Tauranga SPCA to collect the 3-month-old adopted pup.
The pup was rescued by 9-year-old Logan Lester after the youngster saw a tiny paw on a mossy root coming out of the river near Raymond Ave in Te Puke on his way to school.
Holding on to a tree root he plucked the bedraggled puppy out of the water.
![Logan Lester, 9, with River, the German shepherd-cross puppy he rescued from a river.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/JG6QVDWT7RMHLRQH6LPAK5VPGY.jpg?auth=1c1429cea12790e0b9f9296629d56dd1f726dd268e1df70b01894a82f88483e8&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Logan said the pup was cold, shivering, scared, and lucky to be alive.