A man and his dog launched themselves into a frozen reservoir when they saw two pups trapped in the ice.
Timofey Yuriev, 45, was walking with his wife Melissa Kho and their golden retriever in Westchester, New York, when they saw two dogs run on to the frozen Irvington Reservoir and fall through the ice.
Luckily for the doggos in distress, they had exactly the right man for a rescue mission there to help them.
Tim, who grew up in Kazakhstan, was taught how to swim in icy water by his grandfather when he was a seven-year-old in Siberia.
And when he saw the dogs seemed unable to pull themselves out of the water, he leapt into action.
“They were just sitting there,” he told the Press Association. “I had not a lot of choice. I had to go in.”
Posted by Melissa Kho on Saturday, March 9, 2019
While he made it to the first dog without too much trouble, the prospect of going back into the frigid water to rescue the second was a little more daunting.
“I realised I had to do the special breathing technique my grandfather taught me,” he said.
By his side the whole time was Kira, who Tim said was a vital part of the rescue operation, helping to break the ice as well as being there for moral support.
Posted by Melissa Kho on Saturday, March 9, 2019
“She’s very intuitive,” Tim said. “When we watch TV she knows what’s going on so I think she knew the dogs were in trouble. She helped me a lot.”
Melissa, who captured the events on camera, said the dogs’ owner was extremely grateful for her husband’s quick thinking.
“The dogs were both fine afterwards, they seemed tired and just kind of walked it off,” she said. “The owner was so thankful and kind, you can tell she really loves her dogs so much and we are really happy that we were there at the right time.”
