Construction workers save drowning dog in distress, take him for emergency treatment, only to learn that the "dog" is actually a wild wolf: “He was calm... he slept on my legs"

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Mar 17, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

We wish you a pawfectly pleasant beginning of the week, animal fam. We like our Mondays to be boring, normal, without any surprises whatsoever. Mondays are tough enough without something unexpected happening, so let's keep the excitement to a minimum, shall we? Well, at the very least, we hope our Monday is less exciting and surprising than the story below, which involves a miraculous rescue and a giant "dog". 

A team of construction workers found an animal struggling to swim after accidentally falling into a frozen lake. They rushed to save the animal, not thinking about anything else. It turned out to be a large canine, whom they rushed to the hospital after for emergency treatment. Now, this wouldn't be the first time people have assumed anything canine was just a normal dog. We recently wrote a story about a woman who saved a coyote from the street, thinking it was a lost house dog. Well, when they got the vet, they learned that the "dog" was actually a wild wolf! Scroll down to read the full story below!

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  • 01
    While working on a dam last Wednesday in Estonia, two construction workers began hearing a strange noise. Looking around, they realized a large dog had fallen into the frozen river nearby.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10479914240
    via Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals

  • Oh, this poor baby! We can't imagine how scared and cold they must have been. Thank goodness for these selfless heroes who jumped in to save them. Hoomans can be really pawsome sometimes!

  • 03
    The panicked animal was splashing around, clearly stunned and unable to escape the frigid waters. The men jumped into action, leaping into the ice-cold water to bring the canine to safety.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 04
    The men bundled the animal in blankets and packed him into the car, rushing him to an animal. clinic for medical care. But little did the heroes know - they weren't technically saving a dog.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10479915264
    via Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals

  • Paws for a moment and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for exclusively silly cat content!

  • 06
    When the veterinarians took a look at the animal, they informed the men that they had actually saved a wild wolf.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 07
    Sonks_92 Imagine the faces on the people at the shelter!
    via u/Sonks_92
  • 08
    [deleted] That wolf is having a real weird day.
    via reddit
  • 09
    Because the animal was so shocked by falling into the frozen waters, he had been much more docile than a wolf would typically be while wrapped up in the back seat of a car - which explains why the men thought he was just a large dog.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10479914496
    via Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals
  • 11
    [deleted] "Hey, yeah, we found this dog in a frozen lake." Animal Rescue Worker: "Um...that's not a dog."
    via reddit
  • 12
    Cheezburger Image 10479914752
    via Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals
  • 13
    Fatpatty1211 He's going through an alien abduction scenario lol
    via u/Fatpatty1211
  • 14
    "He was calm," Rando Kartsepp, one of the rescuers, told Postimees about the wolf. "He slept on my legs [in the car]. When I wanted to stretch them, he raised his head for a moment."
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 15
    Luckily, once veterinarians got the wolf warmed up with blankets and heaters, his behavior started to return to normal, and he was placed into a secure kennel for his own safety and that of the veterinarians. A medical check
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 16
    confirmed the wolf was otherwise healthy, so he was able to go back to the wild shortly after the incident.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 17
    [deleted] The wolf seems like a good wolf anyway. A concerned and confused wolf, but a good wolf.
    via reddit
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10479915008
    via Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals

  • Well, the good news is that they did the right thing and released him back to where he belongs. It would be a different story completely if they tried to keep the wolf, which we all know that you shouldn't do. No matter how fluffy and adorable they are. 

  • 19
    "We are so happy for the outcome of the story, and wish to thank all the participants - especially these men who rescued the wolf and the doctors of the clinic who were not afraid
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 20
    to treat and nurture the wild animal," the Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals, which looked after the wolf, told the BBC. "The wolf recovered from its brush with death within the day and, after being fitted with a GPS
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 21
    collar by researchers from the national environmental agency, was released back into the wild."
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 22
    After a very close call, this wolf has a second chance at life - and it's likely he'll be much more cautious around frozen rivers from here on out.
    via Kristen Warfield / the dodo
  • 23
    psychidelicate Still a good boy
    via u/psychidelicate

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aww wolves wholesome dogs adorable heartwarming kindhearted work animal rescue cute animals cute doggos doggo animals wolf wild rescue
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