81-Year-Old Man Saved From Drowning in Lake After His Dog Alerts Bystanders

81-Year-Old Man Saved From Drowning in Lake After His Dog Alerts Bystanders
Courtesy of Port St. Lucie Police Department
Updated:
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A wheelchair-bound 81-year-old who fell into a lake while walking his dog was in danger of drowning until his dog became his guardian angel. Barking loudly, she alerted passersby, who helped get the elderly man out from the lake in the nick of time.

Florida resident Harry Smith was walking his 9-year-old beagle-hound mix, Sarah Jane, by a Port St. Lucie lake near his Southwest Twig Avenue home when his electric wheelchair lost traction with the ground. He slipped down the bank in his chair, and into the water.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/police">Port St. Lucie Police Department</a>)
“Mr. Smith began to yell for help as he could not swim and struggled to stay afloat,” Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD) shared on Facebook on Feb. 4. “Sensing his owner was in trouble, his dog began to bark loudly, which alerted two bystanders across the street.”

The bystanders—neighbors Edward Suhling, 58, and Aby “Jacob” Chacko, 49—rushed over, flagging down nearby PSLPD Officer Adam Doty, who was driving his patrol vehicle on Airoso Blvd. When they arrived at the lake, Smith was up to his neck in water.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/police">Port St. Lucie Police Department</a>)
Chacko told Treasure Coast Palm: “As soon as I got here, I saw the wheelchair and the dog, and I recognized that’s Harry and I know he can’t walk.”

Suhling added, “You could just see it in his face; he thought he was dying.”

According to Suhling, Sarah Jane was splashing in the water when he and Chacko reached the lake. Immediately, Suhling jumped into the water; his neighbor grabbed Smith’s arms while Suhling grabbed his legs, and with Doty’s help, they winched him up and out of the water.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/police">Port St. Lucie Police Department</a>)

Smith, received medical attention on-site and was declared fit enough to return home. The police credited the dog and the two bystanders for helping save the elderly man’s life that day.

While Smith had survived his ordeal unharmed, his electric wheelchair sustained water damage. Thus, Officer Doty and St. Lucie County Fire District volunteered to push him back home.

(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/police">Port St. Lucie Police Department</a>)

However, as Smith’s story spread on social media, so did public support.

Less than two weeks after the lakeside ordeal, PSLPD posted an update on Facebook. Not only had Sarah Jane received a complimentary doggy spa day for her heroism from local groomers Dogs with Style Mobile Grooming, but Smith, too, had been gifted a brand-new wheelchair.
“PSLPD has received an outpouring of support from our community to replace Mr. Smith’s damaged wheelchair that fell into the pond,” the police explained in their post. “Earlier today, Mr. Smith was all smiles as he received a new electric wheelchair that was generously donated by Medical Homecare Supplies.”
(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/police">Port St. Lucie Police Department</a>)
(Courtesy of <a href="https://www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/police">Port St. Lucie Police Department</a>)

In photos, a happy Smith sits proudly in his new chair with a happy, spruced-up Sarah Jane by his side.

“I love her. Always have, always will,” said Smith. “She’s such a good dog. Everybody in this neighborhood loves her, and they all look out for her.”
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