Officers Honored For Saving Dog

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Officers were honored after risking their lives to save a freezing dog.

Weijia Jiang shows us how they're being recognized for their heroic act.

At the Baltimore Humane Society, every animal has a story, but theirs is probably not as dramatic as Penny's.

"She was going under.  I mean, she couldn't swim any longer," said Baltimore City Police Officer Americus Rambeau.

At the end of December, the lab/chow mix ran out of the house, right into the Inner Harbor's nearly freezing water.

"I was a nervous wreck the past few hours, trying to figure out where she was.  I thought I totally lost her," said Rachel Naumann, Penny's owner.

But Rambeau, a diver with the city police marine unit, quickly went after her, answering a call for a dog in distress. 

Tuesday, the Humane Society gave the entire team special plaques to say "thank you."

"It's the right thing to do.  A life is a life, whether it's a pet or a human," Rambeau said.

Officer Rambeau says the rescue was especially tricky because every time he tried to grab Penny, she swam the other way.

"After a while, the dog was probably extremely tired and both of us were tired.  We figured it was it so she swam toward the boat and we just grabbed her and took her to the boat," Rambeau said.

Penny has fully recovered and is now home with her owner.