Man Rips Off His Clothes To Save A Stranger's Dog From Drowning
In a world where tragedy can strike at any instant, it's reassuring to know that heroes are among us.
Just ask Sara Melnicoff and her sweet old dog, Carli.
Earlier this month, while out for their daily walk along a creek near their home in Utah, Melnicoff nearly lost Carli forever. Recent rains and snowmelt had turned the creek into a raging torrent, so when Carli ventured down to take a drink as usual, she lost her footing and was swept away.
Melnicoff began to scream. She ran alongside the riverbank as the current carried Carli, but was soon too tired to keep up.
"I thought my dog was going to die," she told The Dodo. "But right then, almost out of nowhere, this man comes running toward me. He saw what was happening and was on it immediately. No hesitation or anything. Within half a minute, he had stripped down to his boxers and plunged into the water."
Fighting against the white-capped rapids, the man was risking his own life to save a stranger's dog - and his heroic efforts paid off.
"He got ahold of Carli," said Melnicoff. "He picked her up and brought her back to me."
Fortunately, Carli was shaken but unharmed. The first thing Melnicoff did was hug the man who'd come to the rescue.
"Then I asked him his name," she recalled. "His name is Bobby L'Heureux."
The Dodo reached out to L'Heureux (who, Melnicoff learned, runs a nonprofit called Big Hearts Big Hands in Colorado), but he wasn't immediately available for comment. Still, though we'd love to learn his story, his actions that day to save Carli speak more than words ever could - and that's why, after their brief encounter, he's a stranger no more to Melnicoff.
"He's a really good person," she said. "He's just a really kind and gentle human being."