If you've ever owned a dog, then you know the incredible gift they can be in your life as a friend and partner. There are many bonding activities a dog owner can do with their dog. They could play a game of catch, take a long walk in nature, or even give some good, old fashioned belly rubs.
There's probably a long list of activities you can think of when it comes to spending time with your pet, but have you ever considered rescue to be one of them? That probably doesn't come up on the top of your list, but that's exactly what this story is all about.
Dogs have a way of communicating without words, whether it be with humans or animals. Humans are highly intelligent. Combine them together and you have quite a team. The team of Jennifer Vaz and her dog, Molly, came right in the nick of time to work together to perform a water rescue for a puppy in danger.
Jennifer Vaz and her dog, Molly, are no strangers to taking long walks together in their home town of Highlands, New Jersey. Like any dog and its owner, they had their usual route that they'd normally take their walk. That route was Veterans Memorial Park, however, on this day, something unusual happened. Molly didn't want to take their usual path.
She told the BBC, "I was walking my boxer, Molly, on my normal path in Veterans Memorial Park, but that Monday, she started to pull me towards the water. It was still early, so I wasn't in a hurry and went along with her. That's when I started to hear a whimper. I looked down over the ledge into the water and I saw this dog in a metal crate. The water was splashing on him, he was just shaken up and looking at me with these big eyes. He was terrified."
Whatever had compelled Molly to decide to walk along the shoreline, it led luckily them to River, a terrified puppy stuck inside of a cage along the shore. The conditions were not looking good for the puppy, considering the tide was quickly rising, submerging the cage underwater. It would only be a matter of time before the dog was completely submerged, however, the puppy was far too terrified to move. By the looks of it, it didn't stand a chance of getting itself out of the hairy predicament.
According to Jennifer Vaz, "He wouldn't come out for me. He was too scared. He was terrified. He was shaking. He had this look on his face like he wanted to know what he did wrong." Jennifer Vaz knew something needed to be done, but before she could make a decision, Molly jumped into action.
Sensing that the puppy wasn't feeling comfortable, Molly kicked into action. Molly entered the crate without fear, licking the puppy in the face. The instinctive canine made the right move, because the puppy was put at ease enough to follow Molly out of the cage, bringing them both to safety. According to the New Jersey prosecutor's office, "if not for the heroic rescue act of the good Samaritan, the dog would have potentially drowned."
Jessica Vas doesn't see herself as the hero. Rather, she sees Molly as the true hero. "It shows you that anybody can be a hero when the moment presents itself, but Molly is the true hero. She was the one leading the way. All I did was give this poor dog a voice." Jessica Vaz is currently fostering the dog, and hopes to adopt him in the near future.
