A service dog was rescued from under a pier two days after swimming across the Hudson River to New Jersey from Manhattan
Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
- Firefighters rescued a dog that swam from Manhattan to New Jersey in the Hudson River.
- The dog's owner said he slipped out of his collar while she was walking him to buy a new harness.
- Firefighters said they found the dog under a pier near Independence Harbor.
Firefighters rescued a dog who ran away from his owner and swam more than one mile across the Hudson River from Manhattan to New Jersey.
Firefighters with Edgewater Fire said they found the dog under a pier near Independence Harbor early Tuesday morning, according to WABC. The dog, named Bear, had been missing for two days when firefighters found it in the river.
Edgewater Police received a call at around midnight on Tuesday morning about a barking dog near the pier, according to WABC.
Bear's owner, Ellen Wolpin, told WABC that she "never expected" to see Bear again. Wolpin had just gotten Bear the week before to be a service dog for her son.
"I never even expected to be telling this story," Wolpin said. "My son is like: 'Make up a story that is more believable.'"
Wolpin told NBC that Bear slipped out of his collar while she was walking him to get a new harness in Manhattan and ran 30 blocks north before someone saw him jump into the Hudson River.
Wolpin said they called 911 to report Bear was in the river and that "patrol boats" searched the river for hours. Tom Quinton, a representative for Edgewater Fire, told WABC that two firemen got into the water with "ice rescue suits" to get Bear out.
Wolpin said that Bear is "doing great" after the ordeal and that "you would never know he had this adventure."
"He's given us a lifetime of happiness because of this," Wolpin said. "I say the dog is a fighter and so is my son."