Not all heroes wear capes, but some of them drive trucks.
A UPS driver proved that man is a dog’s best friend after rescuing one from a freezing pond during his shift just before the Christmas holiday.
While out on a delivery in Bozeman, MO, UPS driver Ryan Arens could hear sounds of a dog in distress.
“This dog was screaming and crying and going crazy,” he told the Great Falls Tribune.
After delivering the package, Arens drove his truck to the other side of the pond. In the dwindling light, he saw an older man in a rowboat on the pond attempting, without much success, to break the ice in order to reach a dog in the icy water. Arens said the dog, Sadie, was trapped about 10-15 feet from the shore with ice all around her.
"I stripped to my boxers and got the guy out of the boat. Then I slid the boat out onto the ice, using it to distribute my weight," Arens said. "I shimmed out to where the ice was thin."
The sheriff’s department and animal control were on their way.
“I knew someone had to get to her,” Arens said. “She wasn’t going to make it.”
Arens broke through the ice, fell into the 16-foot deep pond, and swam for the dog as she was starting to go under. He grabbed Sadie by her collar, got her up on the ice and to shore where a bystander gave him a blanket.
After a hot shower, the two were good as new and Asben even continued the rest of his route delivering 20 more packages. Asben said the adventure was the highlight of his 14-year UPS career.
Recently, Asben delivered a package to the owner’s house and as he walked up, he saw Sadie a two-year-old wirehaired pointing griffon—in the owner’s truck.
“She was freaking out, and when he let her out she ran to me,” Asben said. “She must have remembered me. It sure made me feel good.”
