From lapdog to lifesaver - a Chihuahua saves his owner trapped in a glacier
Last Friday an unidentified Swiss man was hiking with his dog on the Fee Glacier in the Swiss Alps when he unknowingly stepped onto a snow bridge - a fragile layer of ice that forms over cracks in the glacier. The bridge gave way, and he plunged 8m into the icy darkness below.
It wasn't a muscular St Bernard or a hardy German Shepherd that came to the rescue. Instead, it was a long-haired Chihuahua, no taller than a hiker's boot, who led a rescue team to its owner after he plummeted into a glacier crevasse in southern Switzerland.
How a tiny dog sparked a big rescue
Trapped and injured deep inside the glacier, the man managed to call for help using a basic walkie-talkie.
A passerby picked up his distress call and contacted emergency services. However, the rescue team from Air Zermatt struggled to locate him. The glacier's vast, jagged surface offered little clue as to where he had fallen.
But then came a breakthrough. One of the rescue specialists spotted a flicker of movement against the rock - the small figure of a dog, sitting alertly by a near-invisible crevasse.
The Chihuahua had remained right next to the hole where its owner had vanished, refusing to budge.
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'I'm still so flabbergasted,' Reiff said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Rufus wearing a tux on Reiff's wedding day. Image: Jillian Reiff/The Washington Post Rufus joined Reiff's family in 2016, after she and her husband adopted him from the San Francisco SPCA. At the time, Reiff and her husband - then her boyfriend - had just moved in together. Rufus carried her engagement ring around his neck when her husband proposed and was in their wedding photos. When Reiff was pregnant with their first child, Rufus regularly curled up by her belly. 'That dog was like my soul dog,' said Reiff, who has two children, Maya, 6, and Ben, 4. 'He was the most social dog ever, loved meeting people, being the centre of attention,' she said. 'But at home, when the kids came, that was his true meaning for being here. He took his job as protector so very seriously.' Rufus checking in on Ben when he was a newborn in 2020. Image: Jillian Reiff/The Washington Post Rufus died unexpectedly in April. 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