Dog ownership is a beautiful thing, but it definitely isn’t all roses and sunshine.
It takes a lot of effort to properly train your furry companion, and even then, you just need to accept some of their quirks. I’m talking about a Husky’s drama, a Corgi’s loud barks, a Chi’s bossy personality, and a Hound’s art of escape.
The owners of Molly, a pink-haired toy Poodle, learned this lesson the hard way. One day, their tiny dog unexpectedly got loose from her home and embarked upon a daring adventure that could have turned into a real tragedy.
Thankfully, two teams of New Jersey rescuers rushed into action immediately!
Molly Refused Help
Molly’s escape was a heartbreaking thing for her family. They immediately contacted the Garfield Police Department in New Jersey and provided photos of their dog.
The Department shared the photos on their Instagram account, hoping that someone would reach out and give them extra information. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long.
A kind New Jersey passerby reported that they saw Molly running near the Passaic River. The PD deployed a team of rescuers to the scene within minutes only to find out that Molly’s rescue, in fact, would be a tough one!
“After searching, they eventually located the pink poodle but faced difficulties in capturing the dog, as Molly eluded them several times on the riverbank,” GPD wrote in an Instagram post.
The dog dodged several capture attempts and ran away every single time anyone came near. Then, she did something that shocked absolutely everyone!
Molly jumped into the freezing-cold river and swam almost the length of a playing field. Moments later, she found a small island to land on – on the Clifton side, which put the rescuers in a quite difficult position.
In order to reach Molly, they needed a boat, which is why the GPD called for reinforcements. Thanks to the crew from the Clifton Fire Department, the rescue mission was significantly easier.
Eventually, it took four long hours, two boats, eight firefighters in total, and one thermal camera that detected the dog – but Molly was finally safe. One of the firefighters spotted her thanks to her pink-dyed coat. She was cold and shivering.
“At approximately 6:38 p.m., a Clifton firefighter found Molly, cold but unharmed, on the island. With the assistance of the Clifton Animal Control, the determined poodle was safely returned to the Garfield side of the river and was reunited with her relieved owner,” the Police Department concluded.
Finally Returned To Her Family
Although a happy-go-lucky dog, it wasn’t typical of Molly to invest herself in such an ordeal and struggle. According to her previous owner who also took part in the rescue, Sandra Caltradrone, she didn’t know Molly was the kind of dog who would jump in the river and swim.
“Apparently, she’s in the Olympics,” Sandra told ABC7 News.
The important thing is that Molly was safely returned to her owners who couldn’t have been more thankful. Thanks to the kind team of rescuers, she gets to pick up from where she left off and, hopefully, stay away from trouble this time.