A dog became the centre of a high-intensity rescue operation after being swept into a Canterbury river late last night.

Coastguard North Canterbury said they were notified just before 10pm that a dog had been carried into the Waimakariri River, only a few kilometres from the motorway overbridge.

Fast-moving currents had pulled the animal away from the riverbank, sparking concerns.

Despite the dangerous conditions, the dog managed to scramble on to a small island in the middle of the river.

Her owner attempted a rescue but was forced to retreat when the strength of the current made it too risky.

Coastguard North Canterbury volunteers were quickly deployed to the scene and began a co-ordinated search along the riverbanks.

Volunteers spent hours searching the Waimakariri River in the dark after a dog was swept into a Canterbury river. Photo / Coastguard North Canterbury

“We headed to the area with our truck and Blackwell Rescue to search for the dog,” Coastguard North Canterbury said.

Crews spent several hours searching the riverbank in challenging conditions.

For a long stretch, the search found no sign of the missing dog.

“We searched the north side of the riverbank for a couple of hours and found nothing,” Coastguard North Canterbury said.

Just as the rescue teams began to pull back and regroup, the situation took a welcome turn.

“Just as our team were returning to our meeting point, we located the dog on the stopbank.”

The dog was shaken and clearly frightened after the ordeal, but uninjured.

Coastguard North Canterbury spent several hours searching the riverbank in challenging conditions. Photo / Coastguard North Canterbury

Rescue crews carefully herded her to safety.

Moments later, the dog was reunited with her owners, who were described as “incredibly happy” after the dramatic rescue ended on a positive note.