WATERTOWN, Wis. — A rescue dog saved a nearly frozen man in a Watertown backyard Monday morning.
"My dad was the first one to say, 'Wow, your rescue just rescued a life,'" said Katey Higgins.
Higgins, a Watertown resident, was taking her dog, Jagger, to her parents' home Monday morning when they quickly learned something was wrong.
"[Jagger] comes through the house as regular routine, and he just likes to check things out on the deck and in the back," explained Higgins. "Pretty instantly, he alerted us, and he was barking toward the far back corner [of the backyard]."
When Higgins and her parents stepped outside, they told TMJ4 they couldn't believe what Jagger had found in between the bushes and the back of the home.
"We looked down and saw this man. It was shocking. Truly, I didn't know if he was alive."
Higgins said a nearly unconscious man was lying in the snow, not moving.
Watch: Rescue dog saves frostbitten man in Watertown
There are still little paw prints in the snow leading to the patch of grass where Jagger found the man.
Higgins said they didn't know who the man was or how he got there.
"We said, 'Sir, are you okay?' and with Jagger's barking, his head moved a little bit, and so instantly we called 911," recalled Higgins. "[The man] was in an area that we never would've seen; he would've been hidden from most neighbors."
First responders arrived within minutes and helped the man, who was diagnosed with frostbite but will reportedly survive.
The entire ordeal gives Higgins another reason to be thankful for the little dog she adopted from Watertown Humane Society.
"Four years ago, he was in a kill-shelter in Texas. [Watertown Humane] rescued him, allowed us to rescue, and then four years later, he helps save a man's life," Higgins told TMJ4.
She said Jagger's story is an important reminder to support local shelters and adopt pets in need.
"I hope that it inspires people to give back, 'cause I know I went online last night and gave Watertown Humane another donation."
The Watertown Humane society is currently fundraising to make major renovations to their shelter space. For more information and a link to donate, visit their Paws for a Cause page on their website.
After all, a person never knows when that four legged friend they rescue, like Jagger, will save someone right back.
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