An Arizona man is being credited as a hero after jumping into a canal to save a man and his dog who fell into the ice-cold water.
Rich Zuccarello took his dog Smokey Bear for a walk along the canal near Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, last month when the dog approached the water’s edge to look at the ducks on the 40-degree day before eventually falling in, Fox10 Phoenix reported.
“He got up on the brick part, probably about eight inches wide,” Zuccarello told the outlet. “As soon as I saw him get up there, I called him. Instead of coming toward me, he took one step toward the water. His hind legs slipped off, and he slipped over the edge and disappeared.”
Zuccarello tried to pull Smokey Bear out of the water by his leash but ended up being pulled in himself.
“I got his head above the water,” Zuccarello explained. “When I went to take a big pull to get him into my arms, his weight pulled me in, and I just flipped into the water.”
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Zuccarello, who dislocated his shoulder during the fall, said he started yelling for his life as he struggled to hold his 80-pound dog above water.
“I felt that helpless moment where my dog and I could literally drown, or I could drown trying to rescue him,” Zuccarello said.
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Ryan Correa told Fox10 Phoenix that he heard the screams and took action by jumping into the water.
“I heard someone across the water yell ‘help,’ and I didn’t know what was going on,” Correa said. “I look over and see him reaching for something in the water. I saw Smokey emerge. I knew there was no choice. I didn’t think. I just jumped.”
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Correa then swam across the canal and grabbed Smokey Bearallowing Zuccarello to hoist himself onto a ledge, and the two were then able to lift the dog out of the water.
“He was able to hand me the dog, and we both got up top safely,” said Zuccarello said. “I was like, ‘Thank you. You literally saved my dog.'”
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Zuccarello and Correa have become friends since the incident and Zuccarello calls Correa a hero, which Correa says he doesn’t agree with.
“I don’t think I’m a hero. I just think I’m human,” Correa said. “I’m just glad Smokey Bear and [Zuccarello] are OK.”
