WATCH: Yellow Lab Saves A Man From Drowning

As if we needed another reason to love yellow labs! Labrador retrievers are great family dogs and it turns out are also pretty good with water rescue!

I literally got chills when I was reading the story about "Woody" the yellow lab. The dog helped to save a man who was struggling to swim on a cold river in South Carolina after a small boat that he was in capsized.

According to the story at IslandPacket.com:

Mason Ringer and his friends were caught in the swift waters when a woman was walking her dog and heard cried for help. That's when Woody swam to rescue him.

He grabbed Woody's tail, and the dog towed him for a moment, but Ringer lost his grip. Woody turned around and paddled back to him, offering Ringer his collar. He pulled Ringer toward a nearby dock, yards away from the one the workers had launched from.

Being stuck in cold water with no help in sight is one of the most frustrating and panic causing things you can ever experience. I was caught in some deep water on a snowmobile trail nearly 20 years ago. My snowmobile was almost completely submerged and I was in water up to my chest and was freezing! As I struggled to try to free the sled in the dark woods, I began to panic and scream for help. It was a night that not many people were on the trails and I was starting to fear the worst. This was before I owned a cell phone and had no way to call 911.

It seemed like forever, but after some time, four others on sleds came through that part of the woods and I was able to flag them down for help. I'll never forget how scared I was and how thankful I was that someone was there to help.

I learned a few lessons that night. Don't ever ride alone and have supplies ready if your sled breaks down.

When I read the story about Mason Ringer and his friends, I could relate to that panic and fear that  they must have had. I can also appreciate the feeling of seeing help arrive.

Being a dog lover, this story is just that much more touching. The image of "Woody" swimming to help rescue this guy is one of the best examples of why I love labs so much. They are not only loyal to their masters, but they  can sense when others need a helping hand...(paw?)