A dog was saved from certain death by its owner’s neighbour when he spotted the pooch’s lead getting trapped in an elevator door.

Johnny Mathis, 27, from Houston, Texas, had just gotten off the elevator on the first floor when a woman and her dog tried to get on.

CCTV footage shows the woman getting into the lift with her Pomeranian tailing behind her.

But the unwitting owner doesn’t spot how far behind her dog is and the doors shut on its lead.

Quick-thinking Johnny rushes into shot after noticing the impending danger.

He is seen desperately trying to unhook the lead before it’s too late.

Johnny trying to save the dog
Johnny managed to save the dog from certain death

A heart-stopping scene unfolds as Johnny struggles to free the dog, with its vast amount of fur obscuring its collar.

At the last minute, he succeeds and grabs hold of the pooch as the lead shoots upwards.

Taking to Twitter, Johnny said: “I just saved a dog on a leash that didn’t make it onto the elevator with the owner before the door closed.

“I just happened to turn around as the door closed and it started to lift off the ground I got the leash off in time.”

He has since told CNN that “instinct just kicked in”.

“There was so much fur, that's why it took me a bit to get that lever off of the collar and when I did, I let go, you could see that leash just shoot off to the top of the elevator.”

Johnny explained that the owner’s “honest mistake” left her in tears and she had feared the worst when the lift came back to the floor.

It comes after an abandoned dog was tragically found wrapped in metal wire with its mouth tied shut.