Molly the pink poodle rescued from frigid Passaic River after daring swim

WABC, POLICE HANDOUTS, VIEWER HANDOUT, CNN

By WABC Digital Staff

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    GARFIELD, New Jersey (WABC) — First responders in Garfield came to the rescue of a small pink poodle who went for a daring swim in the Passaic River on Monday.

It all started when police received a call around 4:15 p.m. to the area of River Drive and Lanza Avenue about a small pink poodle running loose.

The seven-pound, pink-dyed dog named Molly wiggled free from her leash earlier in the day, ran across a very busy roadway and was going up and down the banks of the Passaic.

Rescuers said she was fast and it was like “chasing cotton candy.”

“She took off from us for a good hour up and down the riverbank,” one rescuer said Tuesday.

When officers tried to approach Molly, she jumped into the frigid waters of the Passaic River and started swimming toward Clifton.

Officials said she swam the length of a football field before she made her way to a small island.

Police decided to call the fire department, which launched two boats to navigate the river. Firefighters from both the Garfield and Clifton fire departments worked together to finally get a hold of Molly.

It took roughly four hours, two boats, eight firefighters in the water and a heat sensing camera to find her in the brush on the island.

“We were preparing for the worst but we were so hopeful for a positive outcome,” another rescuer said.

Molly was cold but unharmed and was returned to her relieved owners. They said they were grateful for the work of the first responders and community that helped Molly get home safely.

And perhaps her pink color even helped save her.

“The color did help, it’s a plant-based vegan pet dye, a huge thank you to the Garfield police station, the rescue team that went beyond,” Molly’s former owner Sandra Caltradrone said.

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