Water Rescue Newfoundland Pup Tows 2,800 Pound Pontoon Boat Back To Safety In Choppy Pennsylvania Waters

(The Daily Mail)

"A water rescue trained dog saved a boat that had been pulled off course by a strong current and choppy waters in a Beltzville, Pennsylvania lake.

Oakley, the Newfoundland who trains with the American Academy of Canine Water Rescue in Massachusetts, executed the impressive rescue just before a storm rolled in. 'We swam out and Oakley took the mooring rope in his mouth and turned that big pontoon into the current and pulled it all the way to her walking depth!' wrote George Abraham, who runs Oakley's Instagram account: @that_nepa_newfie.

In the video, Oakley can be seen in her doggy rescue goggles and gear, dragging a boat many times her size and weight out of the lake's current against a backdrop of growing storm clouds.

Oakley was trained by the American Academy of Canine Water Rescue in Southborough, Massachusetts and is one of just two dogs in the United States that is trained using the methods of the Scuola Italiana Cani da Salvataggio - the Italian counterpart to the American Academy. Water rescue dogs, which include breeds such as Newfoundlands, German shepherds and golden retrievers, are taught how to execute rescues off of boats, jet skis, and even out of helicopters. Newfoundland Dogs, as well as Labrador Retrievers and certain other breeds, were specifically bred to rescue people in the water. 'When this natural instinct is enhanced via clear training, bonding techniques with a human handler then the dog/human team becomes beyond compare as a rescue entity for people in danger of drowning,' reads the Academy's website. Oakley appears to spend most of her year training for various water rescue demonstrations and event around the world."