RESCUED BY A DOG

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9, 4 March 1909, Page 357

RESCUED BY A DOG

A good story is told in Dumb Animals of a red Irish setter dog belonging to a Washington gentleman. The dog, hoAvever, lives on Penobscot Bay all the year round, in charge of a fisherman. Not long ago the dog, whose name is Pat, rescued no fewer than seven persons from a fising-smack that had been thrown on a reef in a heavy gale. The smack was wedged on one of the reefs on Great Spoon Island, about two hundred feet from the shore. The men hoisted signals of distress, and were in momentary danger of being" swept away. Tremendous waves were running, and the crowd of excited fishermen on shore knew that it would be fatal for them to attempt a rescue, as no boat in their possession cotild live in that sea. Suddenly the one who had in his care the dog Pat bethought him that the dog had been taught not only to retrieve, but to tow boats from one point to another, and often when a boat would get adrift he would bo sent for it, and he would run his nose under the painter until he would come to the end of it, and he Avould take it in his teeth and fetch the boat to shore. Pat was at once called. A long cod-line was attached to a piece of lath and flung as far as possible into the water. Pat promptly sprang in, swam to it and brought it to the shore. Several times he repeated the performance. The fishermen, were in despair. The waves were splashing so high tiiey could not direct the dog's attention to the men on the reef. Finally Pat seemed to comprehend that there was something more serious on hand than he at first thought. He raised his head and looked intently over the water. His eye caught sight of the boat with its signal of distress and the waves dashing over it. When the lath with the cod-line attached was again thrown into the water Pat at once sprang after it, took the lath in his teeth, and instead of turning to the shore, struck out through the roaring surf to the reef. Many times he was buried under the waves, but after a few minutes of intense suspense he was seen from the shore clambering up the side of the reef, and a great shout went up as the imperilled sailors took hold of him and lifted him into the boat, in an almost condition. In brief time a strong rope was attached to the cod-line. The men on shore were signalled to haul away, the rope was made fast to the reef and the shore, and one by one the men passed hand over hand from their place of danger, the brave dog following when he had got his second wind.