Father and Dog Dad Wades into Frigid Vermont River to Save Stranger's Struggling Pup

"I have two dogs myself, and I would hope someone would do that for them if they were in that spot," said Chris MacRitchie, who rescued the dog

Father and Dog Dad Wades into Frigid Vermont River to Save Stranger's Struggling Pup

A stranded dog found a guardian angel who wasn't afraid to get wet at just the right time.

Chris MacRitchie was midway through an order at a Dunkin' drive-thru in Vermont on Jan. 10 when his son, also in the car, noticed a dog splashing around in the nearby Winooski River, according to the Associated Press. At that moment, MacRitchie knew he had a choice to make — whether or not to rescue the dog by braving the river's freezing water.

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A video captured by MacRitchie's son shows the choice he made. In the clip, the dad steps into the river surrounded by snow, wearing only a T-shirt, sweatpants and boots. He gasps as he submerges in the frigid water but continues towards the pup — who desperately paddles to a snowy ice drift. MacRitchie then grabs the dog by the collar and lifts it from the water. The clip ends with MacRitchie exiting the river while carrying the dog to safety.

"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," MacRitchie told the Associated Press.

 ABC News/YouTube

ABC News/YouTube

Though he entered the water with bare arms, MacRitchie added that his primary concern about the river was not the cold temperatures.

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"I did not know if it was 20 feet deep or it was 2 feet deep. When I broke through and got on my feet, and it was like waist-high, I was actually relieved by that," MacRitchie said. "In my mind, during the moment, I thought, 'OK, this isn't that bad. Yeah, it's cold, but I feel this is a very doable situation.' "

The rescued dog's ID tag listed Morgan Cerasoli as its owner. When MacRitchie called Cerasoli to tell her he had "pulled a drowning dog" from the Winooski River, she was overcome with emotion. The woman had been searching for her dog, Arizona, since the day before the river rescue.

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"I started crying, and I told him [MacRitchie], 'Oh, my God, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you,' " Cerasoli told AP, adding that Arizona was recovering well from the ordeal.

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"It's brave, it's selfless, it's commendable," she continued, speaking of MacRitchie's efforts to save her dog. "It's everything that I think that we were on this Earth to be."

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