A photo shared by the Air Zermatt rescue service shows the "four-legged hero" Chihuahua who helped save his owners life, July 4, 2025. Air Zermatt

If you're told to envision an alpine rescue dog, you'll likely conjure up a mental image of a St. Bernard or a German Shepherd. A long-haired Chihuahua probably would not spring to mind. But it may be time to give the diminutive yappers some due respect.

A man — who has not been named — was hiking Friday on the Fee Glacier in southern Switzerland, with his white and brown long-haired Chihuahua, when he took a step on a snow bridge and plunged suddenly 26 feet into a crevasse.

Stuck deep in the glacier ice, the man used an amateur walkie-talkie he was carrying to call for help, according to a statement posted online by the Air Zermatt rescue service. A person nearby received the distress call and relayed it to emergency services, but they were unable to locate the man, according to Air Zermatt.

When an Air Zermatt helicopter rescue team reached the area in the afternoon, the service said the hunt for the missing man, "proved difficult. The glacier surface was wide and the hole was barely visible."

"Then a decisive moment," the statement continued: "One of the rescue specialists spotted a small movement on a rock: the Chihuahua!"

The tiny dog was seen perched right next to the hole into which its owner had fallen.

"Thanks to the dog's behavior, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident. The rescuers abseiled down to the casualty and were able to save him," Air Zermatt said.

"The little dog did not move during the entire operation and closely followed every movement of the rescue specialists," the company, which also operates a regional airline, said. "It is fair to say that his behavior contributed significantly to the successful rescue. The dog is a four-legged hero who may have saved his master's life."


The Chihuahua is seen by the hole in the glacier from which his owner was rescued, July 4, 2025, in a photo shared by the Air Zermatt rescue service. Air Zermatt

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