Dog Lost In ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Blizzard Rescued By Summit Officer

SUMMIT, NJ — While many stayed indoors during the “bomb cyclone” blizzard on Thursday, Summit Police Officer Donnie DeFilippis was out rescuing a resident’s lost Goodendoodle named Holly.

It was coming to the end of DeFilippis’ shift on Thursday, Jan. 4 when a call came in at 2:45 p.m. that a dog got away from a home on Springfield Avenue.

Holly’s owner told DeFilippis that the dog was wearing a leash when she got loose. While speaking with the owner, DeFilippis said he could hear Holly barking in the very far distance.

He drove to Somerset Avenue, which is the street behind the owner’s home, but couldn’t hear anymore barking. He made his way through the blizzard conditions back to Springfield Avenue.

“I drove about a half mile down Springfield Avenue and got out of the car and walked towards the ravine between Springfield Avenue and Sunset Drive,” DeFilippis told Patch. “I saw that Holly’s leash was stuck on a branch and she was stuck towards the bottom of the ravine. She was not injured at all, but she couldn’t move. She was barking frantically and with the weather she was very uncomfortable and cold.”

DeFilippis was able to free Holly’s leash and get her out of the ravine to reunite her with her family. DeFilippis said he could tell Holly was very happy to be freed.

“We get calls about dogs getting away all the time,” DeFilippis said. “Usually we find them or the owner finds them. In this situation it was different because of the weather. I knew when I heard her barking that I had to find her quickly given the weather.”

DeFilippis has served on the Summit Police Department for 11 years and was very happy to reunite Holly with her owner.

“It’s funny it’s something I would do and not think about it,” DeFilippis said of his actions. “A dog is a man’s best friend. It felt pretty good to bring her home and see her being comforted. I went home feeling good about the whole thing.”

When asked if DeFilippis’ actions were heroic, he remained humble saying, “that’s what we signed up for when we took the job.”

(Image via Summit Police Department with permission: Summit Officer Donnie DeFilippis with Holly.)

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.