A young man's love for his furry friend has gone viral after he braved a frozen river to save the pup's life.

The video from Alberta, Canada shows the french bulldog Cosmo struggling in the icy water, as his owner Duncan McIver sprints to his rescue.

The harrowing incident was caught on camera by chance, with local news crews on the scene to report on ice safety when the scene unfolded.

Camera crew in Alberta, Canada captures man leaping into frozen pond to save his dog. pic.twitter.com/uJnWkjNVsB — ABC News (@ABC) April 9, 2017

The video from Alberta, Canada shows the french bulldog Cosmo struggling in the icy water, as his owner Duncan McIver sprints to his rescue

'As soon as the ice broke, I just went right in,' dog owner Duncan McIver told CTV Edmonton.

'I think most people would do the same for their dog.'

The footage shows McIver falling through the ice as he crosses the water to save Cosmo, who desperately tried to keep his head above the surface.

The footage shows McIver falling through the ice as he crosses the water to save Cosmo, who desperately tried to keep his head above the surface

McIver, soaked with freezing water, was able to rescue Cosmo and handed him off to an onlooker after a local news reporter happened to be on the scene and phoned authorities

Angela Jung, a reporter for CTV called police to the park while reporting on a recent increase in ice rescues in the area.

'It's a split second thing,' McIver continued, speaking on his lack of hesitation.

'You're not just going to let him die, right?'