Bryant Fritz said he was fishing in Kaufman Lake in Champaign when he saw the puppy about 20 yards from the shoreline, WCIA reported.
After snapping a photograph, Fritz said he jumped into the chilly, waist-deep water to bring the puppy ashore, the television station reported.
"I am a big dog lover. I have a dog at home. I just saw an animal in need, and I just figured that by the time that somebody else got her it would be too late," Fritz told WCIA. "It was pretty clear when I got the dog out that it had been there for several hours."
Fritz said he put the dog in his truck and took it to the emergency clinic at the University of Illinois Veterinary Hospital, the television station reported.
Officials at the veterinary hospital told WCIA the dog's condition is improving. The puppy will be turned over to Champaign County Animal Control on Monday, the television station reported. Fritz said he hoped the shelter will allow him to adopt the animal.
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