Golden retriever puppy rescued from drowning by its mother

A golden retriever puppy was rescued from drowning into a backyard pool by its mother.

It didn’t take long for the adorable pooch to realize there was no way out after it appeared to be thrown into the pool.

Its mother immediately dived in and swam to the rescue, pushing her pup above the water with her snout

At the edge of the water but unable to reach its little paws out, the pup’s mother climbed out and grabbed it by its scruff.

Appearing to teach her little one a lesson, the mother pulls the puppy around for nearly 10 seconds before coming to a stop and letting it go.

A golden retriever puppy was rescued from drowning into a backyard pool by its mother

The video that captured the moment, uploaded to YouTube on April 4, has already earned an astounding 120,000 hits.

And while some viewers cooed at the adorable puppy and her lifeguard mom, others did not have kind words for the dogs’ owners, likening their actions to animal abuse.

Criticizing the cameraman for not coming to its aide, user PrincessLorie wrote: “Disgusting owner trying to get their 15 min. of fame by endangering poor, helpless animals.”

Others defended their actions, and offered some reasoning.

“This is how we trained our K-9 German Shepherds to swim and rescue,” user Inventour1 wrote.

“We would toss them into the pool or ocean and let them figure it out. Dogs are tough and they can handle a little water now and then.”

 [youtube BtAeLOOPDhs]