Good Samaritan Leaves His Own Birthday Party to Rescue Dog Drowning in River
It seems that Gabe Castellanos was meant to celebrate his 38th birthday along the East River in New York City.
His life intertwined with a 2-year-old dog named Harper that day, who may have drowned in the river had it not been for Castellanos.
Harper was supposed to be walking safe and sound with a dog walker as arranged by her owner, Erin O’Donnell.
— Jeanlynn Howard (@JeanlynnH) May 12, 2019
But according to WLNY-TV, the dog walker was hit by a car. Terrified and confused, Harper bolted away from the scene and somehow ended up swimming alone in the East River.
O’Donnell told WLNY that her dog had never been swimming before, and from the looks of video footage taken by witness Lorenzo Fonda, the dog was struggling to keep her head above water.
Hero Saves Frightened Dog From East River After Her Walker Gets Hit By Car https://t.co/AoXDfYuHiU
— Valerie Castro (@VCastroTV) May 9, 2019
Castellanos was celebrating his birthday with friends when the group spotted the dog in the middle of the river.
He said that his brother casually suggested that Castellanos jump in and rescue her — and the birthday boy agreed it was the right thing to do.
Castellanos found a life jacket and ran to the middle of the bridge, carefully choosing where he would jump into the water.
By this time, a crowd had gathered to watch the dramatic rescue unfold.
When Castellanos came within an arm’s reach of Harper, the stressed-out, frightened dog was so startled that she lunged at Castellanos’ face.
She bit him on the face and hit him squarely in the mouth, but Castellanos understood her peril and knew that he needed to continue with the rescue. Thankfully, he wasn’t put off by her attack.
He managed to take hold of Harper’s collar and guide her toward the shoreline, where a crowd of anxious bystanders applauded as the nail-biting rescue came to a close.
Harper sustained minor injuries on her paws and has been wearing protective booties on her feet while her paws heal.
Castellanos also has some healing to do, but he said that his injuries were worth it.
“She caught me there with her upper canines and her lower jaw hit me right square in the front teeth,” Castellanos told Inside Edition.
Castellanos has some dental work ahead of him, but he is not bothered by it, saying good-naturedly that actually, he had been needing some dental work anyway.
He told WLNY that as a pet owner himself, he was glad to be able to rescue Harper.
“Even if it’s not my pet, I would do it again. One hundred percent,” Castellanos said.
O’Donnell said publicly that she was “forever grateful” for Castellanos’ role in saving her dog. The dog walker has minor injuries and is reported to be recovering as well.
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