Police Officers Rescue Missing Golden Retriever from Water after 16 Days of Searching

Chunk, a golden retriever who went missing on June 6, was found and rescued 13 days later on June 22. New Jersey state police spotted the dog paddling in Barnegat Bay.

Chunk, a three-year-old golden retriever, went missing on June 6 from Brink, New Jersey. The New Jersey police station got an unusual call in the morning of June 22 about the location of Chunk.

The troopers, Ryan Koehler and Vincent Ferdinandi were getting ready for their shift. At 7 a.m. when they got the disturbing tip about a dog. They hopped into a motorboat immediately and found the dog nearly 75 yards far from the shore.

Early on Tuesday morning, two people out jogging on the Mantoloking Bridge saw Chunk and walked towards him to grab him. Unfortunately, just when they tried to catch the dog, he jumped into the water.

The cops managed to track the dog, then they escorted him to the land and lifted him onto a dock using a line of rope. Ferdinandi disclosed that the dog had swum nearly two miles far from the Bay. Ferdinandi reported to People:

“He was extremely tired. Definitely malnourished, hungry.”

Chunk’s unfortunate incident took place sixteen days ago, on the first Sunday of this month. He was playing catch with his owner when he got spooked and ran into the woods.

His owners, Marie and James Zangara had filed a missing report at the police station. Police and the couple looked for the dog everywhere, including neighbors, cameras, hound hunters, and using baited traps.

The New Jersey state police announced the good news of locating Chunk on Facebook.

After being rescued and safely lifted onto a dock, Chunk remained fearful. He refused to go anywhere near the police officers. Nevertheless, the troopers kept him securely by their side.

Koehler, who also owns a rescue labrador/shepherd mix for 16 years, expressed that he could understand that awful feeling when someone’s dog goes missing. Upon the reunion of the dog with his family, Ferdinandi said to People:

“To see the sigh of relief that a part of their family was back was unbelievable, and the dog was happy to see his family as well.”

The dog went missing for over two weeks, but the N.J. state police, the troopers, and the dog’s owners were extremely happy when he was found. The New Jersey state police announced the good news of locating Chunk on Facebook.

Along with the announcement on Facebook, there was a picture of Chunk with his family and the two troopers on the dock. The Facebook post about Chunk’s reunion was flooded with comments and was shared more than 7,000 times.

In a similar story, a 45-pound black mixed-breed

on June 15. Two citizens reported to the police about a dog trapped on the piling support of a railroad trestle in the canal.

Firefighters Lt. Michael Maynard and engineer Corey Knipstein paved their way across the canal to rescue the dog. He was taken to a medical facility for pets as he had injured his front leg.