The Amazing Diving Dog
A stray dog has gone over the landmark Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey, Correspondent Morry Alter of CBS station WCBS-TV reports, and what a ride it was!
Animal Control Chief John DeCondo says the homeless pooch was spotted on the cliff by a group of kids who tried to lure him away from the edge, but the plan backfired. The beagle mix spooked and jumped off the rocks and over the falls, plunging a death defying 125 feet.
The kids called 911 and firefighters arrived with boats and took to the water. They were amazed to find the pooch alive at the bottom. After sedating the scared pup they scooped him up and took him to the Totowa Animal Hospital.
Veterinarian Dr. Adel Hamden treated the animal for a few cuts and a wound to his hindquarters. He took x-rays and was stunned to find that the dog had no internal injuries, and not a single broken bone. "Unbelivable, huh? Unreal," he says. "I expect him to walk in a couple of days, properly."
The local animal adoption agency says it has already had calls from people who want to adopt the cliff-diving dog the animal hospital staff now calls Hooper.
Why Hooper, you ask? The pooch has been named after the character Burt Reynolds played in the movie of the same name. Hooper -- the human -- was a stunt man who made his living jumping from death defying heights.
Meanwhile, Hooper -- the dog -- plans to keep all four of his feet on the ground from now on.
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