In a powerful display of courage captured on live television, Argentine journalist Alejandro Pueblas interrupted his coverage of devastating floods in Chaco province to plunge into surging floodwaters and save a dog being swept away by the current.
The dramatic rescue unfolded in Puerto Vilelas as Pueblas, a correspondent for A24 and América Noticias, reported on the Paraná River overflowing its banks and turning streets into raging rivers. While on air with anchors, he and cameraman Valentín Correa spotted a small dog fighting the strong current. Without hesitation, Pueblas waded in, at one point losing his footing and going fully underwater, before emerging with the animal safely in his arms.
“It’s a life,” Pueblas said on camera after the rescue, visibly moved as he carried the soaked dog to higher ground. He temporarily named the dog Bartolo (later called Bartolito). The moment, part of a larger effort in which he and Correa pulled two dogs from the water, quickly went viral, drawing widespread praise for prioritizing an animal in peril amid the emergency.
Pueblas later explained the decision in social media posts and interviews. “A dog was being swept away by the current and, together with Valentín Correa, we managed to see it in time and rescue it. We were only able to record a part of what happened because at that moment the only thing that mattered was saving its life,” he wrote. He added that “in the middle of the floods there are many animals that are trapped, abandoned or exposed to danger and that also need help,” emphasizing that “every life matters.”
In one later account, Pueblas described the sequence: the team first rescued one dog, then the second. The dogs began following them as coverage continued. When one was swept away again, he dove in once more. “You don’t think about the risk in the moment. Later maybe you realize, but right then a life was being carried away. And it doesn’t matter if it’s human or not, it’s a life,” he said.
The floods, driven by heavy rains and the swollen Paraná, left streets impassable, displaced residents, and put both people and animals at risk across the region. Officials and rescue teams worked to assist evacuated families while volunteers and journalists on the ground highlighted the parallel crisis facing pets and livestock.
In a happy ending that followed days later, Pueblas announced he had adopted both dogs, Bartolo and Bartolito, with help from a foundation. “Happy ending! I adopted Bartolo and Bartolito. They’re coming with me to La Plata, where they’ll have a family forever,” he posted, sharing footage of the pair.
The widely shared video of the live rescue has been celebrated as a reminder of quick thinking and compassion during disaster coverage, with viewers and fellow journalists highlighting the instinctive choice to act when a life was on the line.
A note on comments: Our advertisers enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy on racism, hate speech, and threats of violence. Any comment that crosses that line will be removed and the account permanently banned — no warnings. Debate hard, but keep it civil.