“This man will forever be my Hero! Never told a stranger I love him so many times before. To some this may just be a man rescuing a dog, but to me, it’s a man rescuing an extension of my soul! The video of the incredible human who saved my girl,” Cerasoli wrote on Facebook.

He jumped into the frigid waters and waded over to the dog, gently pulling it ashore where his wife, Erica, draped it with a sweatshirt. The dramatic rescue of the dog Friday afternoon in Berlin, Vermont, was caught on video by his son and has been shared widely on social media.