A puppy is back home safely after taking a swim across the Hudson River – thanks to the work of volunteer firefighters.
The Edgewater Fire Department Bear received a call about a dog barking in the water, and they found Bear, a six-month-old Leonberger and Bernese Mountain Dog mix, under a pier at Independence Harbor.
A Hudson River Adventure
“The two guys in the water just stayed behind him so he would come toward the boat and he sat there, waited patiently, I grabbed him by the back of the head and put him in the back of the boat,” said firefighter Tom Quinton to ABC7. “It makes you feel good, especially when we went back a second time to look for him, it does make you feel good.”
Once the firefighters got Bear out of the water, they gave him some food and took him to an animal hospital to make sure he was healthy. Then, he went back to his dog mom Ellen Wolpin.
Bear is a service dog for Ellen’s son, and he only found his forever home with her last week. She was worried they’d never see Bear again.
“I thought he was gone for good. We were so upset, devastated this weekend. We didn’t know what to do,” she said.
Safely Back at Home
On Saturday (Dec. 3) they were out with Bear buying him a harness when he escaped and ended up jumping in the water. But after his scare, and subsequent rescue, he’s back at home. And it’s as if nothing ever happened.
“He’s given us a lifetime of happiness with this. I say the dog is a fighter and so is my son so they’re a great combination,” said his dog mom. “He’s doing great, you would never know that he had this adventure – he’s fantastic.”
