Dog Saved From Lagoon By Good Samaritans, Point Pleasant Officer

POINT PLEASANT, NJ — Two men who jumped into a Point Pleasant lagoon to rescue a Jack Russell terrier on Thursday received a public thank you from the family of the dog, which was resuscitated by a Point Pleasant police officer after the rescue.

The dog, named Brandy, fell into the frigid lagoon behind a home on East Drive about noon Thursday, Point Pleasant Police Capt. Christopher Leonhardt said.

When Sgt. Christopher Woit and Patrol Officer Jesse Waterson arrived, the two neighbors were in the water retrieving Brandy from the lagoon. When they handed her over to the officers, she was not breathing and appeared to be lifeless, Leonhardt said.

Waterson began to give Brandy chest compressions, which resulted in her coughing up water and then she began breathing on her own, he said.

"I just wanted to give a shout out to my aunt’s two wonderful neighbors who put their own lives on the line to save her pup, Brandy," Wendy Rogers wrote in a post on Patch. "These men are to be commended for their valor. And further thanks to the officers and EMS who came to her rescue as well."

The dog was taken by the Point Pleasant First Aid Squad ambulance to a local veterinarian where, as of 3 p.m., her condition was stable and improving, Leonhardt said.

Rogers said Brandy was taken to a vet trauma unit and the family hoped to have her home Friday.

Woit and Waterson helped one of the neighbors out of the water, but the second did not need help getting out, Leonhardt said. Both residents were treated by first aid members and released at the scene, he said.

Point Pleasant Fire Department Station 75 also responded to the call, he said.

This article has been updated with details and the name of the Jack Russell terrier.

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