River and lake trips are thrilling, and an open door to wonderful adventures. That became clear to a rafter in Canada when he was quietly out fishing.

Justin is a man who loves the outdoors and being in touch with nature. He often takes trips to the Red Deer and Saskatchewan rivers.

On his most recent lake trip he stayed several days. And on one occasion when he was peacefully enjoying fishing in his raft, he began to hear some strange sounds that he didn’t know where they were coming from or who was making them.

It’s an incredible animal

“I heard something in the creaking water,” Justin said.

It was nighttime and he was having a hard time seeing clearly, the water was dark and quite murky. The sounds continued and the adventurous sportsman became more and more restless, until he finally realized that something was desperately moving in the still, icy waters.

His surprise was enormous when he realized that it was a coyote pup struggling not to drown, without thinking twice he grabbed it with force to bring it on board, but it fell into the icy waters. When he pulled it onto the raft, the animal was unconscious.

“Fortunately, Justin was able to locate the animal, a coyote pup!” said Bonnie Dell, president of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan (WRSOS).

The athlete applied the modified Heimlich maneuver to revive him and prevent possible asphyxiation, and the little animal began breathing again. They went ashore together, soaking wet, to warm themselves by a fire made by the expert hiker.

Justin had to continue his journey, and decided he would take his new friend with him. He gave the puppy a cute name: YipYip. And during the whole trip he was very attentive to his every need, feeding him and protecting him from the cold of the night.

They had the best vacation together

“He took very good care of him during the whole time. The little puppy would eat with Justin, snuggle in his jacket and sleep in his backpack as they rafted down the river,” Dell explained.

When he had the slightest opportunity he got on the phone with his wife to tell her what had happened and ask for guidance about “YipYip.” Eventually, the couple contacted the WRSOS shelter and the pup was taken to a specialized coyote rehabilitation center where he met other pups like him and had a great time.

WRSOS thanked Justin very much for being such a good friend to the little guy, it is likely that if he had not been there at the right time, the story of the little animal would have been different. YipYip will soon be reintroduced to nature, where he truly belongs.

Make your friends’ day by sharing this beautiful story with them.