A heartwarming video of a man risking his life by jumping into a semi-frozen lake to save a drowning dog has gone viral on social media. The video, shot at Sloan Lake in Colorado, USA, shows the brave man fearlessly jumping into the lake to rescue Loki, a husky dog who was struggling to get out of the icy water.
Instagram user Holly Morphew, who shared the video, said the dog ran into the lake while chasing geese. With no thought for his own safety, the man, now identified as Jason Skidgel, stripped off his clothes and dove in to rescue the dog.
She explained, “Yesterday my friend and I went for a walk around Sloan’s Lake. We saw a dog take off from the other side of the lake at full speed chasing geese. We watched in horror, knowing that the ice would soon run out. That happened and the dog went into the lake. It struggled for a long time as we watched helplessly, praying it would break enough ice to reach shore. But it was starting to get tired and we could see the battle wouldn’t last much longer. We called 911 and the fire department was on its way. We weren’t sure if their rescue would be quick enough. Then a #hero took off his clothes and went in to save him. I’m so happy to say he did, and both he and the dog were fine.”
Watch the video here:
The video shows the man breaking through the ice to get to the dog. Once he grabbed hold of the dog, he helped it swim back to shore, much to the delight of the onlookers who cheered them on throughout.
After the duo got out of the water, the crowd rushed over and helped him warm up by pulling their clothes and coats over him. Mr. Skidgel, who was overwhelmed by the love and support, posted a video thanking them.
“I wanted you all to see how humanity came together. I may have saved Loki’s life, but they saved mine. Thanks to all!”
Here’s the video:
Internet users were moved by the man’s gesture and called him a ”hero” in the comments section. One user wrote, “You are a hero and I am so happy to see that these people are willing to help you as best they can. Thank you to all involved, it’s heartwarming to see the good side of humanity for once, sad it took a tragedy to show it.”
Another commented, ”Brave and beautiful! When you risk your life for someone else’s pup, more strangers get involved who literally take the shirts off their backs to save you. A reminder for all of us to be the good we want to see!”
A third added: “This made me cry. You are amazing and so is everyone who has helped. This shows that there are still decent people in the world.”
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