Woman becomes dog's best friend

By WALTER O'BRIEN
STAFF WRITER

HIGH BRIDGE — A High Bridge woman risked her life saving her dog from an icy reservoir and got a lucky break.

Linda DeMarzo of High Bridge and her 5-year-old yellow Labrador retriever Finn were taking their usual hike at Spruce Run State Park last Sunday when that casual hike nearly turned tragic.

"I've always been paranoid about ice, even if it's a few feet thick," DeMarzo said. "This certainly was not a pleasurable experience."

DeMarzo likes to walk Finn at the off-leash hunting-dog training area Sundays, when there's no hunting. They were hiking for almost an hour when Finn caught a scent.

"He started following the scent, when all of a sudden he ran out about 30 feet onto the ice and broke through, falling in the cold water," DeMarzo said. "He's in good physical shape, but he weighs about 100 pounds."

They were at the edge of the reservoir only 10 minutes from Van Syckels Road, but they were completely alone.

DeMarzo watched Finn struggle to pull himself up onto the ice, but after a few minutes, he stopped struggling and was swimming in place, as though he knew he couldn't get out by himself.

"I didn't know what to do, so I tried to walk out to him," DeMarzo said. "I was panicking. And then I fell through the ice."

DeMarzo realized she had to get help, so she dragged herself up onto the ice. Soaking wet and cold, she ran to the parking area hoping to find someone on a no-hunting day.

Luckily, someone appeared, and he had a cell phone. She told him her story, and he called 911 for help.

DeMarzo knew she couldn't do anything but wait, so she ran back and jumped into the freezing water to try again to save Finn, who had been alone in the water for almost 15 minutes.

"I was up to my neck in icy water," DeMarzo said. "It wasn't bothering Finn much. They're bred to retrieve in cold water."

DeMarzo broke a path through the ice by punching the ice with her arms, hands and body. And finally she made it out to Finn.

"He kept trying to climb on top of me," DeMarzo said. "I let him get up, and we swam back together, with him on my back, holding on."

They reached the shore and started down the trail until they were met by a New Jersey Park Police car with a ranger and a state trooper inside. They drove DeMarzo and Finn back to the parking area and waited for the High Bridge Emergency Squad.

"The ranger took my dog and brought him to my husband at the Ranger station," DeMarzo said. "I was taken to Hunterdon Medical Center to be warmed up for a few hours."

DeMarzo said she only had a mild case of hypothermia and her body temperature was almost normal by the time she left the hospital. She arrived home to find Finn passed out sleeping as if nothing had happened, alongside Django, their chocolate Lab.

"I had no ill effects except for bruising, and went back to work the next day," DeMarzo said. "I was really thankful. I thought that was it for him when I left him struggling, but he's a very strong dog."

She said Finn is ready to go back to the park, but she's not so sure.

"Mom's not so ready to get back to any icy water," DeMarzo said. "I'll take him back to Spruce Run, but this time he'll be on the lead."

And what about that stranger who appeared to save the day at an otherwise deserted lot?

He was "geo-caching," a hobby where people hide trinkets in boxes in out-of-the-way places so others can track them with GPS devices and log their finds on Web sites.

DeMarzo's husband Alan Mart is a geo-cacher. When he checked his online log that night, a man told the story of the drowning dog. The man was searching for a cache left by Mart in his wife's favorite dog-walking spot.

And that put him in the right place at the right time to save DeMarzo and Finn.

http://www.c-n.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080113/NEWS02/801130432/1004

Great story, as was the rescue on Mt Hood. As good as these stories are, they should have been posted in another area of the forums, such as 'Geocaching Stories: Success or Failure'?
Thanx for sharing with us, tho. We need the good PR.

Savannah enjoyed the story when I read it to her..... three "wuffs" of approval.

I'm sorry. Can the thread be moved?
K

Ahh .. ain't no big deal. Only a moderator can move a thread. (I think)

That is a great story. I moved the topic to the Geocaching Stories Forum.