Man, dog stuck in tree while paragliding

WARBURTON, Australia, March 3 (UPI) -- An Australian man said he and his pet Chihuahua were stuck in a tree for five hours after he lost control while paragliding near the town of Warburton.

Paul Hansen, 42, who has been on disability since contracting pelvic cancer eight years ago, said he lost control of his parachute, which also carried his dog, Emma, in a harness, Friday afternoon and soon became lodged in a tree, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported Monday.

"I was blowing around like a leaf in the wind, upside down and around and around. It was like I was in a corkscrew," he said.

"The only time I was scared was when I tried to get my dog into a better position and she slipped out of the harness. It took all my strength not to let her fall," Hansen said.

The daredevil said he was able to call emergency services with his cell phone and provided them with coordinates from his GPS device.