UPS driver Ryan Arens of Bozeman, MT was midway through his delivery route when he heard the cries of a dog in distress. He hopped out of his truck and ran towards the ruckus—only to see a man in a boat desperately trying to paddle through the ice. He was trying to save a dog fighting for its life in the center of a mostly frozen pond.
Ryan stripped down to his boxers and made his way across the thin ice using the boat to help distribute his weight. As he neared the dog, the boat cracked through the ice, sending Ryan into the water. He made the best of it and swam towards the helpless dog, managed to pull her onto the ice, and then made his own way out.
The other good Samaritan offered his shower, and Ryan and the shivering dog used the warm water to bring their core temperatures up to a safe range. Good thinking!
Luckily Ryan keeps a spare uniform in his truck and was able to change into dry clothes and finish 20 more deliveries that day.
The young Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a lovebug named Sadie. Animal Control quickly found her grateful owners to whom Ryan delivered a package the very next day. Ryan told the Great Falls Tribune, “she was freaking out, and when he let her out she ran to me,” he said. “She must have remembered me. It sure made me feel good.”
Ryan has received a lot of media attention for his heroic rescue. Best of all, Rachael Ray sent him for a weekend in the Bahamas ‘to warm up’.
Ryan gets a shout out from Rachel Ray
As Ray says in her interview, you gotta love a man in brown.
Hat tip: AKC.org