Thursday, January 11, 1996 - "Bear", my Golden Retriever puppy (8 months old) wandered onto the ice on the Shrewsbury River and broke through the ice. He was immersed in approximately 30 degree water for over an hour and we had no way to get to him. While we watched, he vainly tried to climb back up on the ice but could not. Anyone who has a pet, has got to understand the anxiety felt when you see something like this and there is nothing you can do to help.

My neighbor who initially spotted him, called the Sea Bright Police, who in turn called the NJ Marine Police. The boat the Marine Police had was snowed in so they borrowed a boat from the owner of the Cove Marina. Sea Bright Patrolman Brett Friedman and State Trooper Gerard Gallo went out on the ice to try to rescue him. They dragged the boat behind them so that in case the ice broke, they would be able to escape the icy clutch of the water.

State Trooper Gallo finally reached the open water and, while lying on the ice, tried to get "Bear" but then the ice gave way, and he was also in the water. Fortunately, he had on a dry suit and was in no immediate danger. If he had come up under the ice it would have been a different story. He was able to grab the dog and hand him up to Officer Friedman. Officer Friedman then pulled Trooper Gallo from the water and they brought the dog back to the shore. To make a long story short, while he was one hurting puppy for a few days, "Bear" is fine today thanks to the efforts of these two men, and all who assisted in the rescue. There is no way I can adequately thank those who participated, other than to express my gratitude.

There is an encouraging postscript to this story. Sea Bright Police Chief, William Moore was there also, and he immediately went out and purchased rescue equipment to deal with a situation like this. While "Bear" was able to survive the rigors of the exposure, a child may not have. Every town that borders on water, or has a lake, should have this type of rescue equipment. And they should have a "dry" suit for the protection of the people taking these risks. If Trooper Gallo did not have one on, this story could have had a far different ending.

As it turned out Bear was one lucky pup, and in October he was the “Poster Boy” for the American Cancer Society.