After a boating accident in the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina, a golden retriever has been reunited with his family. Jeff Wiseman and his pup, Rocky, a one-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, were out for a ride when Jeff became distracted by his phone, causing him to hit an old abandoned dock. The impact sent both Rocky and Jeff into the water.
The accident happened about a half mile south of Dolphin Cove Marina. Jeff swam to shore to look for Rocky, but couldn’t find him. Local authorities arrived to assist Jeff and helped look for Rocky, but he was still nowhere to be found. Jeff was then taken to the hospital with seven broken ribs.
“My fear was that he was hurt or injured, you know that he was suffering somewhere or dead,” Jeff said. “I mean, the grief and guilt you feel when a moment of your carelessness might have hurt or killed you and your buddy like that.”
Jeff’s wife, Kim, posted to Facebook asking boaters to keep an eye out for Rocky. The Lowcountry community rallied, with many people going out to look for Rocky along the river on jet skis, kayaks and boats.
On Tuesday morning, thirty-six hours after Rocky went missing, he was spotted on the opposite side of the Ashley River chasing a raccoon. He was wearing his dog lifejacket, which the Wisemans believed saved his life.
“Everyone is talking about how they’re going to go online and order life vests for their dogs. That’s a great lesson to take away from this,” Kim said. Now, Rocky is home with an injured ankle and catching up on sleep.
The Wisemans hope that their story will spread the word for dog owners to get dog lifejackets and to promote boating safety.
“We would never have anticipated or imagined just how the community, how the Lowcountry came together and rallied for Rocky,” Kim said. “They didn’t know us, they didn’t know Rocky, but everyone seemed to come together to save one little dog. That’s been so heartwarming, and we’re just incredibly grateful.”
