A polar vortex gripping America’s Mid-West nearly claimed the life of a dog owner in Chicago who plunged into a partially frozen Lake Michigan to rescue his puppy.
Police formed a human chain and threw a rope to the man who had gone into the water to retrieve nine-month-old Pika.
The American Eskimo mix was able to reach safety but its owner could not pull himself up due to large ice walls on the lake’s edge.
Chicago Police Department said the man, who wished to remain anonymous, and the 19lb puppy were doing well.
He said in a statement: "I have no doubt that I would have died without help, I am forever grateful to them.
"Pika and I are both fully recovered and in debt to our gracious and heroic first responders."
Sergeant Alex Silva added: "We didn't talk about it, we just kind of did it.
"So I'm glad they were there. I'm glad we were there quickly because the water temperature was like 34, 35 degrees."
The man was close to the temperature at which hypothermia can set in when he was pulled from the freezing lake.
Temperatures in Chicago are forecast to fall to -28C tonight. The freeze is caused by a spinning pool of cold air known as a polar vortex.
