Three guys near Hilton Head, South Carolina took a small boat out on a river last Wednesday, and it capsized in 30-mile-per-hour winds. The water was pretty cold, and hypothermia started to set in. Luckily two of them made it back to shore. But 24-year-old Mason Ringer COULDN'T make it back.
He tried swimming for a while, but couldn't beat the current. Then his feet cramped up, so all he could do was float. But luckily, a random DOG heard him yelling for help. A 7-year-old yellow lab named Woody happened to be outside . . . jumped in the water . . . and swam straight to him. Mason grabbed its tail, and the dog started to pull him back in. Then he lost his grip, so Woody turned around . . . swam BACK to him . . . let him grab onto his collar . . . and pulled him the rest of the way.
Police think Mason probably would have drowned if the dog hadn't saved him. And apparently it wasn't trained for this or anything. It was just instinct. It sounds like a pretty special dog though. He also climbs TREES, which is odd. And his owners trained him to sit when he hears a "C" strummed on a ukulele. (???)
Mason and his friends are all fine. He told a local reporter that he was planning to, quote, "buy that dog a big ol' steak."