A man was recently caught on security camera heroically rushing to save his neighbor's dog after its leash got caught in an elevator door, CNN reported.
The man, 27-year-old Johnny Mathis, wasted no time running to the poor pup's rescue as soon as he realized the elevator doors had closed and the dog's leash was still attached to its collar.
Mathis had just exited the elevator himself, and happened to watch the pair as he was walking away.
"When she got on, I was looking at the dog, because it was a cute dog," he told CNN. "I noticed the leash was kinda long, but I didn't think it wasn't going to make it on the elevator or anything."
Mathis noticed what had happened and immediately rushed to the dog, picking up the pup and hurrying to free it from its leash before it was too late.
"Instinct just kicked in, I just grabbed the leash," he recalled.
"There was so much fur, that's why it took me a bit to get that lever off the collar," he explained.
Thankfully, he finally manged to free the dog: "I let go, you could see that leash just shoot up to the top of the elevator."
When she returned to the floor and found her beloved pup perfectly safe in Mathis' arms, she couldn't stop crying.
"I think she just said 'thank you' and we hugged but she was so overcome with emotion," he said.
Watch the full video below.
Many people online praised Mathis for his quick-thinking and his heroism in saving the dog's life.
"You should be so proud of yourself for realizing what was about to happen and taking quick action," this user wrote. "Those quick reflexes are reflective of a naturally good heart."
Mathis posted a follow-up tweet to address these comments and defended the woman, insisting she couldn't have immediately opened the elevator doors because it was already heading to another floor when she got inside.
"All this attention wasn't my intention but I hope awareness to situations like this are brought to everyone's attention," he wrote. "It could happen to anyone. A second is all it takes."
h/t: CNN
