We never truly know when our time on this Earth will come to an end. One of the most hauntingly beautiful aspects of the lives we lead is that any day might be our last.

It sounds rather tragic on the face of it, but at the same time it forces us – at least in theory – to appreciate the things we have, the people we love and care about.

Every now and then you’ll read a story or hear a news headline that forces you to consider that fact, and hopefully encourages you to hug your loved ones that little bit tighter.

According to reports, a mom from Alaska disappeared just before Christmas while in the process of taking a walk with her husband and two of their dogs.

Amanda Richmond Rogers, 45, and her husband, of Anchorage, were out walking along a frozen river trail prior to celebrating their 18th anniversary when one of their dogs attempted to take a drink from an opening in the ice and fell through it.

LittleThings say that Amanda and husband Brian Rogers both jumped in after the dog in an attempt to perform a daring rescue.

Sadly, however, it would end in tragedy.

“Before even thinking, I was jumping into the water to save our dog,” Brian said in a statement shared with Alaska News Source.

“I held onto the edge of the ice as I frantically ducked under the ice reaching into darkness trying to feel and grab our dog. I felt nothing. I ran out of breath and jumped out of the opening. I took four steps down stream to look for the dog through the ice again.”

Fortunately Brian was able to make it out of the water, though his wife was not so lucky.

Speaking on their decision to put themselves at risk, Brian explained:

“We have a room in our house dedicated to the memory of all our previous dogs. We have tattoos of our dog’s paws. Amanda has around 35 thousand photos and videos on her phone from our 18 years of marriage and a majority of them of our dogs. She did not jump in to save ‘just a dog,’ it was a family member. To me and our 4 boys she died a hero.”

Reportedly, the dog Amanda was attempting to save has not been found.

“I turned around and Amanda was getting into the water. I knew from the look on her face she was going in to save our dog,” Brian continued in his statement. “I yelled but doubt she even heard me as she was completely concentrating on saving the dog. Before I could get back to the opening to try and grab her I could see her SWIMMING downstream under the ice and then out of sight.”

I can only imagine the grief felt by Amanda’s family at this time. Rest in peace.