In a remarkable display of bravery, Chris MacRitchie jumped into the icy waters of a Vermont river to rescue a dog he spotted struggling to stay afloat. The incident occurred on a Friday afternoon in Berlin and was captured on video by MacRitchie’s son, quickly spreading across social media platforms.
The adventure began when MacRitchie’s family was in the drive-thru at a Dunkin’ Donuts, and his son noticed the distressed dog near the embankment of the Winooski River. Feeling an undeniable urge to help, MacRitchie decided to act. “It was one of those moments everyone probably experiences,” he reflected. “I felt I had a duty to try to rescue this dog, especially since I have dogs of my own. I would hope someone else would do the same for them if the situation were reversed.”
Footage from the rescue shows MacRitchie, clad in casual clothes, approaching the riverbank as the dog flounders in the water. His wife can be heard cheering him on as he bravely makes the decision to enter the freezing river. Wading through the ice-cold water, MacRitchie audibly gasps while making his way to the dog, which was trapped on the opposite shore. After successfully hoisting the dog out, he brought it back to the bank where his wife awaited with a sweatshirt to keep it warm.
MacRitchie described his only concern during the rescue being the unknown depth of the river. He noted, “I had no idea if it was 20 feet deep or just a couple. When I broke through and found it was waist-deep, I felt relieved. I realized, ‘OK, this isn’t that bad. Sure, it’s cold, but I can handle this.’”
Following the rescue, MacRitchie reached out to the dog’s owner, Morgan Cerasoli, using the contact number found on the dog’s tag. Cerasoli had been desperately searching for her 7-year-old mutt, named Arizona, since Thursday. At the time, she was on her way to pick up her daughter from school when she received the unexpected but heartwarming call from MacRitchie about the rescue.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Cerasoli exclaimed, “I couldn’t help but cry. I told him, ‘Oh my God, I love you! I’m making a U-turn and coming back right now!’” In a later interview while sitting with Arizona, she shared that her dog had mostly recovered from the ordeal.
After reconnecting with her beloved pet, Cerasoli watched the video of the rescue and found herself emotionally moved once more by MacRitchie’s selflessness and the sight of Arizona in distress. She described the act as “brave, selfless, and commendable,” highlighting the goodness that can sometimes feel scarce in today’s world.
