Father jumps into freezing river to save dog struggling to stay afloat [Video]

(AP) – Spotting a dog struggling to stay afloat in an icy Vermont river, Chris MacRitchie never hesitated.

He jumped into the frigid waters and waded over to the dog, gently pulling it ashore, where his wife draped it with a sweatshirt. The dramatic rescue Friday afternoon in Berlin was caught on video by his son and was shared widely on social media.

MacRitchie’s son first spotted the dog as they were going through the drive-thru of a nearby Dunkin’ Donuts. When they reached the embankment of the Winooski River, the father of two felt he had no choice but to save the pooch.

“It was like one of those moments everyone probably has in their life like you’re going to make a decision,” MacRitchie said. “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 …