In Cleveland, what was meant to be a standard educational outing on the Cuyahoga River quickly evolved into a tale of rescue, renewed hope, and unexpected friendship.

On Wednesday morning, a boat carrying city officials and water department teams set out for a routine water safety demonstration. However, the excursion took an interesting turn when someone on board noticed something unusual floating in the water.

“One of the passengers said, ‘Hey, there’s a dog,’” said crew member Bill Bratton.

Wedged against a steel piling was a small dog, soaked, shivering and unable to free herself. Bratton didn’t think twice.

“There was a small, what we thought was a puppy, wedged in the sheet piling,” he said.

Bratton grabbed his microphone, called “man overboard” and jumped into action.

“My crew just snapped into action. They do this all the time,” Bratton said.

Together, the crew hauled the frightened pup onto the boat. She was scared, exhausted and in Bratton’s arms all the way to the vet.

Her name now is River, a reminder of where she was found. The man who saved her is hoping to make his home her forever home.

According to veterinarians, a dog named River is around two years old. They believe she might have been a stray for about six months and possibly stuck in the river for several days without nourishment or clean water.

“The vet says two, maybe three days,” Bratton said. “She hadn’t eaten. I doubt she was drinking water—probably only when she had to.”

Now, River has plenty of both. What started as a day of water education became something much greater: a lesson in humanity.

River is no longer adrift and Bratton said he’s grateful he was in the right place at the right time.

“Sometimes you just have to be human. Take a little bit of a risk, do something human,” Bratton said.

River is recuperating well, her vitality is returning, and her future seems optimistic. In the process of rescuing her, Bratton might have discovered something just as valuable, a lifelong friend.