Wellesley Firefighters Receive PETA Award for Dog Rescue

Photo via WPD.

The Wellesley Fire Department will receive a Compassionate Fire Department Award on behalf of PETA for saving Cooper, a golden doodle, from the Charles River.

“When this frightened dog’s life hung in the balance, these courageous rescuers came through for him,” PETA Senior Director Colleen O’Brien said for a recent press release. “PETA hopes this will inspire others to come to the aid of animals in need.”

This is the second PETA award for the Wellesley Fire Department, which was previously recognized for saving a dog named Crosby from the same river.

The Wellesley Police Department rescued Cooper, a dog stranded on a tree in the Charles River, on the morning of March 8. Cooper was unable to get to shore because of the flowing water and the coat of ice on the river.

Police officers, alongside Wellesley firefighters, put on ice rescue suits before jumping in the water and transporting the dog to dry land. Firefighters dried off Cooper and allowed him to recuperate in their fire engine before his owner took him home.

Cooper dashed from his owner on Saturday during a walk along the Elm Bank Reservation, police said. The owner unsuccessfully attempted to find the dog that afternoon and returned Sunday morning to put up notices when a citizen informed him that Cooper was spotted near the river bank.

Kathy Macdonald, president of MassHort (which has its headquarters at Elm Bank) said that “this entire State property (182 acres) has a leash law, which dog walkers ignore,” according to the Swellesley Report.

Tucker, a Wellesley blogging dog, recommends the consideration of converting part of the North 40 into a park where dogs can safely run free.

Should there be a dog park around there, Wellesley? Leave a comment below.

Also on Patch:

• Watch: Police Save Dog from Ruff Weekend Getaway
• Wellesley Police: Elm Bank Reservation, Charles River Not Safe
• Dog Reportedly Rescued from Charles River