Morgan Cerasoli was beside herself with worry for her seven-year-old rescue dog, Arizona, who had been missing for nearly 24 hours in the freezing Vermont cold. Her fears were validated when she learned that Arizona had nearly drowned but was saved in the nick of time thanks to a stranger’s selfless bravery.
Chris MacRitchie and his family were out getting coffee at a drive-thru in Berlin, Vermont, when they spotted a dog struggling in the icy river nearby. Without hesitation, MacRitchie knew he had to try to save the dog from drowning and freezing to death in the frigid water. “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,” he later told CBS News.
Morgan Cerasoli / Facebook
With his son filming, MacRitchie made his way down the icy embankment. As he tried to reach Arizona, he unexpectedly fell into the frigid water. For a brief moment, panic set in. “The only real stress I had about it wasn’t getting in the cold water. It was the depth. I did not know if it was 20 feet deep or it was 2 feet deep,” MacRitchie said. “When I broke through and I got on my feet and it was like waist-high, I was actually relieved by that. 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.'”
Watch the heartwarming rescue in the video below:
Undeterred, MacRitchie waded across the river, grabbed hold of the struggling Arizona, and carried her back to safety. His wife was waiting with a coat to wrap around the shivering dog, and they quickly placed her in their warm car. Thankfully, Arizona was wearing ID tags, and they were able to call Cerasoli right away.
Cerasoli was ecstatic and eternally grateful. When she later saw the video of Arizona’s rescue she commented, “The video of the incredible human who saved my girl! It’s brave, it’s selfless, it’s commendable. It’s everything that I think that we were on this Earth to be,” she said.
Cerasoli posted the video on Facebook, thanking everyone who helped in the search, especially MacRitchie. She wrote, “The BIGGEST gratitude goes to the amazing man who jumped in the river to save her from drowning!” She added, “This man will forever be my Hero! Never told a stranger I love him so many times before. To some this may just be a man rescuing a dog, but to me, it’s a man rescuing an extension of my soul!”
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