New Delhi: When he spotted a dog struggling to stay afloat in the freezing Winooski River, a Vermont man didn’t think twice and jumped into the cold water to rescue the canine, the New York Post reported. The incident occurred on Friday. The man, identified as Chris MacRitchie, was accompanied by his family in Berlin, saw the canine while going through a Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru. He swiftly went down the embankment and jumped into the river to save the hapless dog. The brave rescue was captured by his son and went viral online in no time.
Moment when man jumps into frigid Vermont river to rescue dog. pic.twitter.com/fupyVoGOIn
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‘I felt I was obligated…’
Chris reportedly said, “It was one of those moments where you have to make a decision. I felt I was obligated to at least try to fetch this dog out of the river, as I have two dogs myself, and I would hope someone would do that for them if they were in that spot.”
In the video, one can see Chris, wearing a T-shirt and sweats, climbing down the embankment, and then wading through the frigid water as his wife eggs him on. Chris was more concerned about the depth of the water, rather than the freezing cold.
“I didn’t know if it was 20 feet or 2 feet. When I broke through and it was waist-high, I thought, ‘OK, this isn’t that bad. Yeah, it’s cold, but I feel this is a very doable situation,’” he said.
‘I started crying’: Dog’s owner
Chris reached the dog, pulled it to safety, after which his wife wrapped it in a sweatshirt. The dog’s owner, Morgan Cerasoli, was extremely grateful when Chris contacted her using the number on the dog’s tag.
Cerasoli had been searching for Arizona, her 7-year-old rescue mutt, since Thursday. She got emotional when she heard that the dog has been rescued. “I started crying and told him, ‘Oh, my God, I love you,’” she said. Arizona is recovering well. Cerasoli dubbed the rescue effort as “brave, selfless, and commendable”, adding, “It’s everything we’re meant to be on this Earth”.
