Dramatic Video Captures Man Rescuing Dog from Freezing Vermont River

When Chris MacRitchie spotted a dog struggling to keep its head above water in a freezing Vermont River, he acted without hesitation.

He plunged into the icy waters and made his way to the dog, carefully bringing it to safety, where his wife, Erica, covered it with a sweatshirt. The intense rescue that took place on a Friday afternoon in Berlin, Vermont, was recorded by his son and has since garnered significant attention on social media.

MacRitchie’s son, Ace, was the first to notice the dog while they were in the drive-thru of a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts. Upon reaching the riverbank, the father felt compelled to save the struggling pup.

“It’s one of those moments everyone encounters in life when you have to make a decision… either jump in and help the dog or do nothing,” MacRitchie remarked. “I felt it was my duty to at least make an attempt to retrieve this dog from the river, especially since I have two dogs myself, and I hope someone would do the same for them in that situation.”

The video reveals MacRitchie, who was clad in a T-shirt, sweatpants, and boots, as he approached the riverbank, where the dog was trying to escape. He calls out to the dog while Erica can be heard urging him to proceed with the rescue.

MacRitchie cautiously navigated the ice before entering the river, gasping audibly as he waded approximately 20 feet towards the dog, which was on the opposite side of the frozen tributary of the Winooski River. His wife repeatedly encouraged the dog and expressed her disbelief when MacRitchie finally lifted the now-identified Arizona from the water to the frigid bank. He then carried the dog over to Erica.

“The main concern I had wasn’t the cold water, but its depth. I didn’t know if it was 20 feet deep or just 2 feet deep,” MacRitchie explained. “When I broke through and found out it was only waist-deep, I felt a wave of relief. In that moment, I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. Sure, it’s cold, but it’s manageable.”

Once he successfully retrieved the dog, MacRitchie reached out to its owner, Morgan Cerasoli, whose contact information was found on the dog’s tag.

Cerasoli mentioned she had been searching for her seven-year-old mutt—originally rescued from alongside the road in South Carolina—since Thursday. As she was on her way to school to pick up her daughter, she received MacRitchie’s call, informing her that he had “saved a drowning dog” from the river and wanted to confirm it was hers.

“I burst into tears, telling him, ‘Oh my God, I love you, I love you, I love you!’ I had to turn around and come back,” she recalled, sitting next to Arizona during an interview. She reported that while the dog is mostly doing well now, a vet check revealed it had Lyme disease.

After being reunited with her pet, Cerasoli tearfully watched the video of the rescue, feeling deep emotion not only for MacRitchie’s bravery but also for the condition Arizona was in at that time.

“It’s incredibly brave, selfless, and commendable—everything we should aspire to be,” she expressed regarding the rescue. “Sometimes it feels like those qualities are rare these days.”

By Michael Casey