Animal advocates seem to be around every corner during this generation, and recently there has been an awesome example of one in the Green Mountain State.
On Jan. 10, in the small town of Berlin, Vermont, Chris MacRitchie, his wife, and his son were going through a drive-thru at a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts when MacRitchie and his wife noticed something irregular floating in the tributary of the Winooski River.
As the three gazed once more upon the icy waters, they realized what they were looking at: an animal in crisis.
A dog was left helpless, fighting against the frigid current, and time was quickly running out for the four-legged companion. Without hesitation, the family leapt out of their warm and comfortable car, urgently rushing to the bank of the tributary.
They knew immediately that something had to be done, so MacRitchie walked towards the edge of the ice.
A video was taken of the brave feat, where MacRitchie’s wife said “Just go”, and just as soon those words were said, the ice broke from underneath MacRitchie’s feet.
MacRitchie then calmly waded through the icy, waist-high water toward the struggling dog. He remarkably grabbed the dog by the collar and began guiding her across the stream. When MacRitchie reached the riverbank, he picked her up, lifting her onto the snowy bank.
The video goes on to capture MacRitchie’s family swaddling the dog in a warm jacket before the screen cuts to black and the video ends.
In the end, the dog (named Arizona) turns out okay, and her owner was notified.
When the Boston Herald interviewed MacRitchie and asked why he acted upon the situation, MacRitchie stated, “It was like one of those moments everyone probably has in their life, like you’re going to make a decision.”
MacRitchie went on to add that he felt obligated to fetch the dog out of the river because, “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.”
According to the Boston Herald, Chris MacRitchie and his family quickly contacted Arizona’s owner, Morgan Cerasoli. Cerasoli was relieved to hear that Chris not only found Arizona but saved her from the freezing waters (especially given the fact that Arizona had been missing since the previous Thursday).
The Boston Herald interviewed Morgan, later asking her what her response was to the incredible news. All she could explain was, “I started crying, and I told him, oh, my God, I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Personally, seeing a story like this truly raises my spirits. It makes me realize that there are a lot of good people out there who will do almost anything to help a creature in need. I’m grateful for all the animal advocates out there who not only do amazing things for other people, but for other species.
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