Quantcast

Salty dog! Police rescue pup from Gravesend Bay

Salty dog! Police rescue pup from Gravesend Bay
NYPD

Call it a soggy dog story.

Police divers went over and above the call of duty diving underwater to retrieve a lost dog on Friday, it’s owner said.

“It’s actually pretty amazing — all the things the NYPD did,” said Francisco Vazquez, whose German Shepherd Chase went missing Thursday. “They risked their lives to get a dog — that’s pretty amazing.”

A passerby saw the pooch struggling in the bay and called police, officials said.

Detective Markian Kopystianskyj and police officer Damien Drisco suited up and jumped in, hauling the 1.5-year-old dog aboard a harbor unit boat before taking him ashore at a dock in Sunset Park.

The rescue was even more serendipitous because Chase is named for a fictional canine cop, according to Vazquez.

Warm and fuzzy: Chase sometime before he went for the dip.
Facebook

“It’s funny, I named my dog chase because of the cartoon my kids watch about a police dog,” he said.

The day the dog was missing was a harrowing one for Vazquez and his family, who spent hours searching before nearly giving up hope, he said.

“When we couldn’t find him for a couple hours, I thought somebody took him, and I thought, ‘I hope they treat him well,’” Vazquez said. “Once you love a dog, you just wanna know he’s gonna be fine — I didn’t want him to suffer.”

Chase was resting up on Friday afternoon, Vasquez said.

“It’s really nice to know that he’s okay,” he said.

Reach deputy editor Max Jaeger at mjaeger@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–8303. Follow him on Twitter @JustTheMax.
Soggy doggy: Chase was shaken up, but okay, his owner said.
NYPD