BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – It was a rough week for one dog in Bedford County when he wound up stuck in a winterized pool, unable to get out.
Deputy Andrew Webster is an animal control officer with the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office. He got a call on Wednesday that a dog, named Ryker, had fallen into a winterized pool and he needed to be rescued.
The dog’s owner had a medical issue and couldn’t go in after him.
When Webster got there, he said didn’t hesitate to jump into the freezing cold water to carry the 115-pound rottweiler to safety.
“It was very, very cold. And he’d already been in there 20-plus minutes. His feet were getting kind of wrapped up in the tarp, so if he slipped and went down, I wasn’t going to risk him having any problems,” said Webster. “It was just instinct. I was like, ‘Just suck it up and get to it. Get to work.’ And that’s exactly what I did.”
Webster says once Ryker was on dry land, he got the zoomies, and the two played fetch.
“Preferably, if I had to do it again I’d rather do it in the summertime when the water’s a little warmer,” Webster said jokingly. “But if I got to jump into a cold pond or cold water to save a dog or save a life, I’ll do it. It’s no problem for me.”