A dog in Baltimore is safe and sound after a very stressful swim in the cold Inner Harbor.
The dog got off of his leash, according to a Twitter post from Baltimore Police, and jumped into the water near the Rusty Scupper restaurant on the west side of the waterfront.
Water temperatures in the Patapsco River were around 39 degrees at the time, and the dog began to panic, swimming wildly in circles. Inner Harbor Unit officers immediately began a rescue effort because of the extremely cold water, according to the post.
The Baltimore Police Marine Unit also responded from the water, and a Baltimore Police helicopter monitored from above, using infrared to spot the dog, whose dark color made it hard to see in the water.
Baltimore Police shared this helicopter video of the dog’s rescue. Watch below:
One officer jumped into the water in an attempt to save the dog. Quickly, the marine unit was able to pull the dog from the water onto the boat, and the officer also managed to scramble on board after only a few seconds in the water.
Police say the dog was okay– just cold– and one officer suffered minor injuries.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
