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Journalism of Courage
A heart-warming rescue of a husky dog who had fallen into a half-frozen lake is going viral. The video, taken at Sloan Lake in Colorado, USA, shows a man jumping into the lake and breaking through the ice to reach the dog. By breaking the ice, the man helps the dog swim back to the shore.
An Instagram user, Holly Morphew, shared this video online and wrote that the dog ran into the lake while it was chasing geese. She further explained, “We watched in horror knowing the ice would soon run out. It did, and the dog went down into the lake. It struggled for a long time as we helplessly looked on, praying it could break enough ice to get to the shore. But it was getting tired and we could see the struggle wasn’t going to last much longer. We called 911 and the fire department was on its way. We weren’t sure their rescue would be fast enough.” She then mentioned that a man, now identified as Jason Skidgel, took off his clothes and dived in to save the dog.
This video has gathered over 1.6 million likes. Commenting on it, many people praised Skidgel’s bravery and promptness. They also asserted the need to put their dogs on the leash near half-frozen waterbodies.
Echoing this view, an Instagram user wrote, “Who is that guy! We live in Denver he needs recognition and the dog owner needs a leash!!!! Shouldn’t have been running loose and on the ice, this is exactly why!! Both lives of dog and man could have been altered!!!! What a HERO THANK YOU SIR.”
After his heroic deed went viral, Skidgel also posted two videos on his Instagram account that showed onlookers helping him get warm by putting their jackets over him after he climbed out of freezing water. Some people also came to the aid of the dog. Skidgel thanked people for their kind words and mentioned that he and the dog both are doing well.
