A family were out walking their beloved pooch along the river when suddenly it deceived to run into the water. At first, the family didn’t understand why, but when it came back they soon understood.
Discover our latest podcast
Gus, the dog that saved a life
Gus is a 6-year-old golden retriever poodle mix. Gus lost one of his legs as he is battling cancer, but that didn’t stop him from saving another animal’s life. Ella and Lucy Hammerstrand were walking Gus along the St. Croix River in St. Mary's Point, Minnesota on Easter Sunday.
According to Fox 9 News, Gus suddenly jumped into the freezing cold river and swam around 50 feet. Despite only having three legs, Gus didn’t struggle. The Hammerstrands were puzzled as to why their dog suddenly jumped into the water.
After a while, Gus came back with something in his mouth. Ella Hammerstrand told Fox 9:
First time swimming with three legs and he comes out of the water with a baby otter in his mouth!
The family helped the otter
As soon as they realised what Gus had in his mouth, the family sprang into action. They started searching for the otter’s mother. Lucy Hammerstrand recalled:
I held him for a little while they tried to find his mom, but we couldn't,
When they couldn’t find the mother, the family decided to wrap the young otter up in a blanket and took it to the nearby Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville. The staff at the centre discovered that the otter pup was only a week old and far too young to swim on its own.
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center posted on Facebook
The otter is much too young to be in the water - it should still be in the den with its mom,
Ella Hammerstrand said.
I think he [Gus] knew the otter was hurting and something was wrong... he definitely got a lot of treats afterwards,
Read more:
⋙ This dog was declared the world’s oldest dog by Guinness World Record
⋙ War In Ukraine: This 'minesweeping' dog has sniffed out hundreds of Russian explosives
⋙ This rescued dog was covered in bite marks after living with a 'crazy hoarder' for 11 years
