This is the moment a hero cop in North Carolina saves a tiny tethered pitbull pup just as it's about to be engulfed by rising flood water.

The dog had been apparently abandoned and tied to a fence as tropical storm Ophelia floods engulfed Greenville on September 23.

Officer Benjamin Schultz is seen wading through knee high waters as he unties the pooch and scoops it up into his arms just as the flood reaches the dog's chin.

Greenville, NC Police Department said in a statement: 'The dog, a small pit bull, was tied to a fence and was just inches from drowning.

'He is safe from harm now and Animal Protective Services will be conducting a follow-up investigation.

'Thank you to the Good Samaritan who called this in! Without you, he wouldn't be alive.'

The tropical storm began developing as a cyclone over the Atlantic Ocean last week, before making landfall in the state of North Carolina over the weekend.

It is reportedly now forecast to bring a month's worth of rain in the east side of the USA.