TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan – A pet dog named Ruby saved her owner from a life-threatening situation this week when he fell into an icy lake. The dramatic rescue was captured on video by a police officer’s body camera and quickly went viral online.
The brown and white patched dog came to the rescue when her owner, a 65-year-old man, fell into the freezing Arbutus Lake in East Bay Township. Unable to traverse the thin ice himself, the man called on his loyal companion for help.
The video shows the police officer, Kammeron Bennetts, arriving at the scene and shouting to the man to send his dog, Ruby, over. As Ruby rushes towards the officer, she is quickly equipped with a bright orange rescue disc and a piece of rope, and then instructed to return to her owner.
With the assistance of Ruby, the officer successfully pulls the man from the icy water and drags him across the snow to safety, with the help of a firefighter. The man was in the water for approximately 16 minutes before being pulled to safety.
The Michigan State Police responded to an emergency call and the man was later transported to the hospital for treatment. The successful rescue garnered widespread praise for Ruby and Bennetts online, with many commending their combined efforts in saving a life.
The incident took place amid record-cold air and back-to-back storms across much of the contiguous United States. The mid-January snow cover has been reported as the most extensive in two decades of modern data, with a major thaw forecast for the upcoming week.
Overall, Ruby’s heroic actions and Bennetts’ quick thinking have demonstrated the remarkable bond between humans and their loyal canine companions, and their ability to work together in times of crisis.