On Sundays I write about heroes or individuals that we can all look up to. Chris MacRitchie is such an individual.
From FoxWeather:
“Vermont man jumps into icy river to save struggling dog from certain death.”
For the most part, there was no hesitation, said MacRitchie.
The dramatic rescue began unexpectedly on Jan. 10 in Berlin, Vermont, along Stevens Branch. While enjoying a drive-thru snack at Dunkin’ Donuts, MacRitchie said his young son first noticed the dog in the nearby river. MacRitchie courageously jumped into the frigid Winooski River in a T-shirt to save a struggling canine from certain death.
Despite the freezing temperatures and the uncertain depth of the river, MacRitchie knew he had to help her as he bravely waded in and pulled the shivering dog to safety.
“I wasn’t overly stressing about the cold,” he told FOX Weather. “But I did not know if the water was knee-high, waist-high or over my head.”
MacRitchie urgently pulled the dog, Arizona, up the embankment. His wife, who was waiting nearby with blankets, immediately helped him get the dog into their vehicle. They soon discovered her ID tag and contacted her owner, Morgan Cerasoli, who had been frantically searching for her 7-year-old canine companion.
Cerasoli said Arizona went outside for a potty break about 1:30 p.m. the day before and just disappeared.
“Something caught her attention,” Cerasoli told FOX Weather. “I don’t really know what happened, but she went on an adventure.”
It was a 3-mile, daylong adventure, to be exact. Wind chills were near zero as temperatures plummeted to the lower teens while snow blanketed the ground.
Cerasoli said she had just finished searching for Arizona in the area near the river before she had to leave to pick up her daughter. Within five minutes, she received a call from MacRitchie.
“This man will forever be my hero,” said Cerasoli, admitting she had never expressed such profound gratitude to a stranger before. “To some, this may just be a man rescuing a dog, but to me, it’s a man rescuing an extension of my soul!”
Chris MacRitchie is indeed a true hero, as he did something that a lot of us couldn’t do!
2/9/25