For three years, Vinicius Orlando had been cleaning and maintaining a family’s swimming pool in Goiás, Brazil — a quiet, familiar routine he could almost do with his eyes closed.
But one recent visit turned out to be anything but ordinary.
That day, as Orlando arrived at the home, something immediately felt off. The family’s dog, Choquito, who always came running out to greet him, was nowhere in sight.
“I thought it was strange,” Orlando told The Dodo. “When I approached the pool, I saw the cover was wet and immediately thought, ‘He’s in there.’”
He rushed closer, lifted the edge of the pool cover — and his heart dropped. At the bottom of the pool, motionless, was Choquito.
Without hesitation, Orlando dove in.
Security footage later captured the terrifying moment: Orlando pulling Choquito’s limp body from the water and immediately starting CPR.
“He was already unconscious when I found him,” Orlando said. “I started massaging his belly, and he began to recover.”
Miraculously, Choquito began to stir — weakly at first, then with growing strength.
Later, when the family reviewed their security cameras, they saw how close it had been. Choquito had somehow slipped into the pool area and spent nearly 40 minutes struggling to stay afloat before sinking to the bottom.
And then, just one minute later, Orlando arrived.
That single minute made all the difference.
“He came back to life right there,” Orlando said. “I called his owner immediately, and he arrived quickly to take him to the vet.”
At the clinic, Choquito received tests and treatment — and, against all odds, made a full recovery.
Looking back, Orlando knows it was pure fate that he showed up exactly when he did.
“I’m very happy that everything worked out,” he said. “It was a miracle — and I just happened to be there at the right time.”
