Dredging contractors Josh Johnson (foreground) and Mason Stump, after rescuing little Gigi from New Bedford Harbor on 5/1. Photo courtesy of Mr. Johnson, from the EPA Facebook page.
By Beth David, Editor
The Doggie Rescuers from the harbor have been identified!
Kelsey Dumville of the Public Affairs Office at the Environmental Protection Agency, contacted the Neighb News to let us know that it was workers for the dredging contractor working on the harbor cleanup effort, who scooped up little Gigi from the water (see 5/3/17 issue).
Josh Johnson was the “big burly” man who reached down and grabbed the little Yorkie from the water, she said. Mason Stump was on the boat with Mr. Johnson, and Mike “Big Dog” McBride, and Greg Bates also helped in the rescue.
In last week’s issue, we wrote about the unlikely rescue as seen by Fairhaven Animal Control Officer Terry Cripps. He said, “It was crazy. I couldn’t believe it.”
He also said it all happened so fast that he never got names. Mr. Johnson, it seems, had the presence of mind to snap a photo on the boat, and Ms. Dumville got word of the good deed.
“Every day brings new challenges for workers involved in the Superfund cleanup of New Bedford Harbor,” reads a post on the EPA’s regional FB page, and explains how the men saw people “waving to them furiously” from the Coggeshall Street bridge. “The workers changed the course of their boat and approached the bridge to discover what the excitement was about — a puppy struggling for life in the middle of the river with the tide current heading out.”
“The rescued pup was so tired it could not even stand up,” continues the post. “This falls into ‘other duties as assigned’ category.”
The Neighb News also did not have the names of the dogs last week, but has since been filled in by Mr. Cripps. The female Yorkie is Gigi and the Chihuahua mix is Milo, a male.
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Click here to download the entire 5/10/18 issue: 05-10-18 CherryBlossom
