A Rescue Story: A Bernadoodle, Two Plymouth Firefighters, and One Grateful Dog Mom
Plymouth firefighters never know what a shift will bring.
This is the story of a firefighter, his battalion captain, a dog mom, and a very happy bernadoodle named Angus.
“I do try to walk him every single day. He loves to walk. We come here a lot because the path around is almost a mile,” said Debbie Ojeda.
She’s had Angus, or Gus for short about six months now. One day last week Debbie and Gus were in the middle of the boardwalk going across Lake Camelot when Angus decided he was going for a swim. He was on a retractable dog leash so before Debbie knew it when Gus went over the edge.
“He swam under the dock. And he swam around a pole. And then he was just completely stuck,” said Ojeda.
Debbie called 911.
“We got there and got waived down by the owner. And all you could see was the leash the owner was holding going down into the water. Tight,” said Plymouth Fire Battalion Chief Tom Evenson.
“He really couldn’t swim because of the way the leash was wrapped around his neck and the dock,” said Plymouth Firefighter Marc Elbin.
Ojeda says the dog was whimpering and crying.
The firefighters climbed down the bridge and were able to get the dog untangled.
“It was very brave because we really didn’t know how deep that water was,” said Ojeda.
But when firefighters got the dog untangled, they realized they were trying to hold up a dog that weighs more than 50 pounds.
Firefighter Marc Elbin with 9 month old Gus
The firefighters got the dog out of the water and into the happy arms of his dog mom.
“I was crying I was so happy because I was so afraid that I was going to lose him,” said Ojeda.
Debbie was grateful for the work the firefighters did and wrote a letter praising both firefighters to the Plymouth City Council.
“I mean I just really want the fire department to be commended for what they did, cause it was really, really great,” said Ojeda.
For Marc and Chief Tom, it was just another busy day. It’s part of what they love about being Plymouth firefighters.
See also: Plymouth Firefighters Rescue Deer Trapped in Pond
