An elderly man and his old dog were spotted struggling in a creek by a neighbor who was busy trimming his lawn. With no one else in sight to help, the neighbor quickly assessed the situation. Knowing he had only enough time to save one, he rushed to the water and dove in, fully aware of the gravity of the decision. He swam straight toward the old man, whom he’d known for over a decade. The man had always been a reclusive, somewhat gruff figure, known for his love of animals but with minimal interaction in the neighborhood.
As the young man got within two meters of him, he called out, “Do you prefer humans over dogs, or dogs over humans?”
“Any day, I’d choose a dog,” the old man sputtered, gulping water and struggling to stay afloat.
“Same here,” the young man replied, then swam toward the dog.