It had been on Marathon Monday, April 20, 2026 when Hans Nagrath knew he had to save his dog Benny. The dog, a two-year-old Goldendoodle, had been chasing geese, quickly running into the icy water of the Charles River and couldn’t swim back to shore.
No matter how much Nagrath called Benny to return, the dog didn’t seem to be able to swim back.
Nagrath, a local realtor, plunged into the freezing waters and swam out towards the struggling dog to stay afloat. While swimming in the icy waters, Nagrath said he became winded and had nothing to grab onto, but he somehow found the strength to continue.
He was finally able to catch up with Benny – both doing the doggy paddle towards shore while Nagrath yelled for help. Every time Benny started to falter, Nagrath gave him a little push from behind.
The two made it to the pier; onlookers were able to hoist the dog and the man safely out of the water and provide both with warming blankets. The man admitted he had never been so afraid in his life that he might not have made it to save his dog and himself.
Nagrath told social media the two year old dog was a son to him, and he couldn’t imagine life without him.
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