Dog Saved from Drowning Needs a Permanent Home, Shelter Says

Woodbridge, NJ - Alvin's story is certainly one of the more unique seen at Woodbridge Animal Shelter in a long time: He's the 8-year-old corgi mix that was saved from drowning in freezing cold Arthur Kill in February.

Alvin was first seen running loose in Sewaren's Alvin Williams Park on Feb. 29. He had no collar and ran away from the numerous people who tried to catch him. He trotted into a marshy area near the Sewaren Marina and then, for some unknown reason, jumped into the cold, fast-moving waters of the Arthur Kill waterway, the channel that separates New Jersey and Staten Island.

Woodbridge Animal Control officers watched as the dog at first seemed to turn back to shore. But he then became disoriented and began to swim even farther out. Helpless, the officers saw Alvin begin to lose strength and he flipped over in the water, with his legs up in the air.

That’s when Animal Control Officer Austin Clyburn decided to jump in. He dove in, swam out and managed to grab Alvin and swim him back to shore. Both Clyburn and Alvin had to be hospitalized for hypothermia, Clyburn at JFK Hospital and Alvin at Woobridge Animal Shelter.

Now Alvin needs a forever home. He was diagnosed with a grade 4 heart murmur and requires medication for the rest of his life, rescuers at the shelter say.

"He may need to see a vet more than other dogs, but he gets along with other friendly dogs and just likes to sniff around and get scratches," the shelter writes. "He is currently in a foster home with 5 other dogs, but he wants a family to spend the rest of his life with. He was saved from drowning by ACO Austin, and that could have been a tragic end."

Call the Woodbridge Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Center at (732) 855-0600 if you can provide a forever home for Alvin!