Two Heroic Surfers Save Drowning Dog

When we found this story in the Muskegon Chronicle, we just had to share it with you! Who doesn’t love the story of a man who saves a drowning dog? And this one does it with a surfboard—check it out:

The waves on Lake Michigan Tuesday afternoon "were about as big as they get," said surfer Matt Smolenski, 25, of Grand Haven. And the rip current along the Grand Haven pier was "really strong."

One of those big waves swept a man's dog off the pier around 2:30 P.M., and it was Smolenski who rode a wave in to save the struggling pet, said off-duty Muskegon Heights police officer Royce Rodgers, who witnessed the rescue. That wave caught the dog owner first and "knocked him off his feet," Rodgers said, then knocked the dog into the water. "The dog was trying to swim, but the waves were very large. It was struggling," he said. "The owner was screaming for the dog."

Smolenski saw the familiar dog owner, then said to his surfing buddy, Joe Riopelle, 24, also of Grand Haven, "Oh man, that guy's dog went in. I'm going to go for it."

"When I got to the dog, it wasn't dog-paddling anymore," Smolenski said. "He was able to grab the dog's collar," added Rodgers. "He put the dog up on his surfboard."

Smolenski got the 30- to 40-pound dog onto his surfboard and he stayed in the water, fighting the strong current to get to shore. "I got pretty tired," he said. "I had a hard time getting in myself." He was joined by Riopelle, who helped both to shore.