It was a ruff day for one local pooch.
Rye firefighters saved a 15-pound mini Goldendoodle in a harrowing rescue Monday morning from a freezing pond at The Apawamis Club. Four-year-old Scout — who apparently doesn’t like swimming — had chased after a flock of geese on the private golf club’s greens, only to realize that “she wasn’t on grass anymore,” her owner Caitlin Layng told The Record.
In fact, Scout had somehow made it all the way out to the middle of the pond, which was 25 yards away and 20 feet deep, according to the fire department.
While Layng’s friend called 911, the dog owner broke through the ice lining the pond with her heels. But by the time the water got to her waist, Layng was still too far away.
“I was just screaming to her to encourage her to keep trying, and she was just paddling like crazy, trying to keep her head above the water,” said Layng, adding she was trying to get Scout to keep looking at her as the pup pushed through the cold.
“That was the scariest part, because I didn’t think she could actually swim for that long in such cold water, and I thought that I was going to basically watch her drown,” she said.
The weather in Rye topped out on Monday at a frigid 29 degrees, according to AccuWeather.
Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. One firefighter, Ricky Colasacco, quickly got into a Mustang suit designed to withstand the cold and ice water — “I would say, in less than a minute,” said Layng — and jumped into the water.
After breaking the surrounding ice, he safely retrieved Scout and swam her back to the shore. “He was a hero,” Layng said of Colasacco.
Photo courtesy Caitlin Layng
“All fire department units returned to service by 9:43 a.m.,” the Rye Fire Department announced in an Instagram post about the rescue.
“I think if it had been another minute or so, it would have a different ending,” Layng said. “So it was really a miracle, and we’re just so, so beyond grateful for the professionalism and the skill and the speed with which the Rye Fire Department responded.”
Once Scout was back in her owner’s arms, Layng rushed her to the Rye Harrison Veterinary Hospital to make sure she was OK.
“She was hypothermic, and she was in shock and had a really low core body temperature, but they took really good care of her … she got IV fluids and a lot of tests and was warmed up,” she said.
By the end of such an arduous day, Scout was ready to go home. And when she got there, Layng’s five children “smothered” her.
“They were just so appreciative of the firefighters and the swimmer who saved her,” she said.
As for Scout, she celebrated her triumphant return home with a victory meal. “[Scout] had no kibble today — only rotisserie chicken,” said Layng. “We feel like she earned it.”