VIDEO – Service Dog Swims Hudson River to New Jersey: ‘One Strong Willed Pup’

A New York City service dog is getting a lot of attention for making an incredible journey after something spooked him.

Bear swam across the Hudson River and ended up in New Jersey after wiggling out of his collar and running 30 blocks on Saturday, CBS News reported Thursday.

According to owner Ellen Wolpin, she got Bear a week ago for her son who experiences seizures.

“Never expected to see him again, never expected to even be telling this story,” Wolpin told ABC 7. “My son is like, ‘Next time, make up a story that’s a little bit more believable.'”

The Hudson River is approximately one mile wide but it appeared that Bear, who is a mix of Bernese Mountain Dog and Leonberger, handled it just fine.

The six-month-old pup was lost for two days until he was spotted near a pier in Edgewater, New Jersey, where firefighters rescued him and used his microchip to locate his family.

“Early this morning we were able to rescue this little guy from under the pier at Independence Harbor!!” Edgewater Fire Company #1 reported in a social media post with a photo of the tired puppy:

Social media users were overjoyed at the news, one person writing, “Wow! Thank you. That’s one strong willed pup.”

“Great ending. So relieved to hear this cutie was rescued and back to his Mom,” another commented.

One of the emergency crew members recalled how the rescue was performed, noting there were low tide conditions and two firefighters got into the water wearing ice rescue gear. Once they got him into the boat, Bear enjoyed lots of treats and pets.

Bear previously lived in Montana, so despite the recent cold weather, “He’s doing great. You would never know that he had this adventure,” Wolpin said.

“He’s given us a lifetime of happiness with this, yep. I say the dog is a fighter and so is my son so they’re a great combination,” she added.