Austin Hayes credits his dog for helping him save a boy’s life after the boy had fallen into a frozen pond. He told local media he believed he just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

When Austin left his apartment with his four-legged companion in Deerfield Township in Ohio, he believed they were just going on a regular walk. However, his dog, Red was showing signs that something was wrong. Hayes said he had initially thought the golden retriever just needed to go to the bathroom. Now he believes she sensed there was danger nearby.

“She knew something because she wanted to go outside. And afterward, I let her back out, and she didn’t go to the bathroom. So, something was going on.” Hayes told WKRC-TV.

As soon as Hayes stepped outside with his dog, he could see the young boy struggling to keep his head above the icy waters. He could hear the boy screaming, “I’m getting ready to pass out! I’m tired!'”

Typically a person can survive anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes in frozen water before your muscles get weak, so if Haye’s hadn’t been there to save the boy, he might not have survived. Thankfully, Haye’s dog was adamant about going out. Dogs are known to be able to predict danger because they’re highly sensitive to pheromones. It’s possible the dog could sense the boy’s fear since he was close in proximity.

Experts recommend not walking on ice with a thickness lower than three inches as you risk falling in, which was likely the case here. The frozen pond is reportedly the size of a football field, and the boy had almost made it entirely across when the ice broke. As a precaution, always take someone with you if you plan to check out a frozen pond or lake.

The boy, who is 14 years old, went to meet his sister at the nearby bus stop. Instead of going straight back home, the boy chose to go for a walk on the pond. He fell through with no way of being able to get out. Later, the boy told hospital staff that his sister had warned him not to go near the pond. The apartment complex where Haye’s and the boy live have reported issues with the local kids playing on the unsafe ice.

Haye’s, being a father to an infant, credits his parenting skills that just naturally kicked in when he saw the boy’s head sticking out of the pond and screaming for help.

“My daddy instincts just kicked in.”

It was his heroic actions that saved the boy’s life. Haye’s used a neighbor’s towing strap that the boy was able to grab on and be pulled out of the pond. First responders took the boy to the local hospital to get treated for hypothermia. He was later released, thankfully in good health.

Hayes told WKRC-TV that “I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time.”

The world could use more good samaritans and four-legged sidekicks to save lives.