Chihuahua Hailed as Hero After Leading Swiss Glacier Rescue Mission

A Chihuahua dog sits on snow in Zermatt, Switzerland, Friday, July 4

A Chihuahua is being celebrated as a “four-legged hero” after helping rescuers locate its injured owner who had fallen into a crevasse on the Fee Glacier in southern Switzerland. The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was exploring the glacier on Friday when he fell nearly eight meters (about 26 feet) through a snow bridge.

According to Air Zermatt, a Swiss rescue and transport company, the man was carrying a walkie-talkie and managed to communicate with someone nearby, who alerted emergency services. However, the exact location of the fall remained unclear during the initial phase of the search.

Roughly 30 minutes into the aerial search, a rescue team member spotted the Chihuahua pacing anxiously atop an Alpine rock formation. The dog’s erratic behavior caught the attention of the helicopter crew, prompting them to investigate the area more closely.

A Chihuahua dog sits on a stone near the the hole in snow, in Zermatt, Switzerland, Friday, July 4, 2025

As rescuers approached the spot, they discovered the crevasse and located the man inside. A team member was lowered into the crevasse to retrieve the victim. Both the injured man and his loyal dog were airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

“Imagine if the dog wasn’t there,” said Air Zermatt spokesperson Bruno Kalbermatten. “I have no idea what would happen to this guy. I think he wouldn’t survive this fall into the crevasse.”

Air Zermatt later praised the Chihuahua’s role in the dramatic rescue, writing on its website: “The dog is a four-legged hero who may have saved his master’s life in a life-threatening situation.”

The man’s current medical condition has not been disclosed, but officials emphasized that the dog’s presence likely made the critical difference in saving his life.