Fernando Santos was busily looking at his phone and waiting for his apartment’s elevator, completely unaware of the danger a small dog was in. That’s because the tiny dog was dangling overhead and out of view. The dog didn’t bark or alert Santos to the trouble she was in.

screenshot via Inside Edition

Thankfully, while waiting for the elevator to arrive, Santos glanced up. He was stunned by the sight of a tan and white dog hanging from the top of the elevator door. He immediately sprung into action and reached for the dog. He managed to unhook the dog from her leash just in time and saved the dog’s life!

Apparently, the dog’s owner had gotten onto the elevator with their arms filled with packages and somehow the dog got left behind and the leash caught between the elevator doors. The dog was wearing a harness that prevented her from choking to death, which might have happened had she been wearing a collar.

It’s not the first time such a scary thing has happened. A pet parent shared her frightening experience to warn fellow dog lovers of how easily a step into the elevator can go from routine to something like this.

Not everyone will have a person like Santos there to save there dog, so it’s definitely worth taking an extra few seconds to look around and ensure our fur friends are safely inside the elevator.