Teenage Lifeguard Saves Man and Dog from Drowning

A 17-year-old lifeguard in Ashburnham, Mass., conducted a double-duty rescue mission to save both a dog and a man at Sunset Lake.

According to WHDH, Jeremy Lessard had been hired to lifeguard at a family reunion on the lake when a woman abruptly asked if he could save her dog, who had swam half a mile down the lake. Lessard jumped in after the dog but couldn’t catch up, so he swam to a nearby shore to borrow a canoe.

While he was paddling out to the dog, a pontoon boat was passing by Lessard, so he asked the man on board to help him save the dog. The man jumped into the water but missed catching the dog’s leash.

When Lessard caught up to the dog, he reached down from the canoe to try to save it. “It was starting to go underwater a little bit,” Lessard told WHDH. “[The dog] was really tired so I grabbed it on my left hand, tried to scoop it up. I didn’t know heavy it was.”

Frightened, the dog bit Lessard twice as he scooped him up and put him in the boat. Just when he thought the coast was clear, Lessard saw that the man from the pontoon who tried to rescue the dog needed rescuing of his own. Lessard was able to save the man and bring the dog back to its owner on shore.

If you’re planning on taking your pooch near the water during these last few weeks of summer, be sure to read our water safety tips for paddling pups and remember that it’s best to leave your dog at home or with a guardian if you’re visiting the water but your dog can’t swim.

PHOTO: Peter Shanks

Amelia LeRutte

Amelia Lerutte is a public relations and social media expert, and a pack leader to a couple derpy Boston Terriers, a lovable Leonburger and a Keeshound. When not writing or promoting the i Love Dogs brand, Amelia is an avid NHL fan, ice hockey player and video gamer.