A man from Russia is being hailed as a hero after he risked his life to save a panicked dog from a frozen pond.

The dog was running over the frozen water of the pond chasing ducks when the ice suddenly cracked, sending the canine falling through it. The man, who had no shirt or shoes on, dove into the water as soon as he saw the dog struggling for his life.

The dog initially snarled at the man and at one point, even bit the man, who refused to give up despite the way the canine was responding. Thankfully, the good Samaritan was finally able to get his arm around the fur of the dog’s neck and yank him out of the water.

Local authorities arrived soon afterwards to check the bite from the dog, and the man ended up being completely fine. Footage of the harrowing rescue has since gone viral, with people all over the world applauding the man for what he did!

“God bless you, Russian hero!” one social media user commented, with another adding, “That’s so amazing!!! Thank you so much to that sweet strong person with wonderful smile!!!”

“What a great guy. Thank you sir. Thank you so much,” a third user wrote.

This man really does deserve all the respect in the world for risking his own life to save the life of a dog. Watch the incredible rescue for yourself in the video below!