Tuesday morning at 7 a.m., New Jersey State Police Troopers Ryan Koehler and Vincent Ferdinandi got a strange call: a golden retriever was seen swimming in Barnegat Bay on the Jersey Shore and required saving.
According to Ferdinandi of PEOPLE, the cops hopped into a 22-foot Zodiac boat to travel to the dog, who was around 75 yards from the coast. They used a rope line to pull the dog onto a pier behind a house after gently guiding him there.
He was quite worn out, Ferdinandi claims. “Definitely famished and undernourished.”
with justification. Chunk, a 3-year-old dog, was playing catch with his owners Marie and James Zangara on June 6 when, according to Ferdinandi, he reportedly became frightened and went off into the woods.
The search for Chunk has been ongoing since he vanished on Sunday, according to the trooper, and has involved social media, neighborhood police agencies, baited traps, dog hunters, and trail cameras.
Then, early on Tuesday, two joggers on the Mantoloking Bridge noticed Chunk; when they tried to take him, though, Ferdinandi claims, he leaped into the sea. By the time he was saved, he had already traveled about two miles across the water.
When they arrived on shore, Ferdinandi reports that Chunk showed signs of fear for the troopers, “sort of backing away from us.” The two kept Chunk by their sides, nevertheless, until the dog’s family came.
The dog was delighted to see his family as well, according to Ferdinandi. “To watch the sigh of relief that a member of their family was back was incredible.”
Since Koehler has been a trooper for 16 years and owns a rescue Lab/Shepherd mix, he is aware of how terrible it would be to have a dog go missing for more than two weeks. I absolutely comprehend,” he replies.
Ferdinandi continues, “We’re just delighted that the dog and the owners may be reunited.
In a post that has been shared more than 6,000 times, the New Jersey State Police conveyed the good news early on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, the State Police stated that “Troopers Koehler and Ferdinandi reacted in a watercraft and discovered Chunk, who was swimming in the vicinity of the Mantoloking Bridge, and were able to bring him safely to land.”
The message adds, “Chunk, who is three years old, has been gone for more than two weeks.” He was obviously pleased to be reunited with his appreciative owners.
