Escaped UWS Puppy Swims Across Hudson River: Officials, Report

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A beloved Upper West Side service puppy who broke free from its owners was rescued in New Jersey Tuesday night after an epic doggy paddle across the Hudson River, according to officials and reported first by ILoveTheUpperWestSide.

Owner Ellen Wolpin told ILoveTheUpperWestSide that she had been walking Bear on Saturday in the neighborhood to go get a better fitting harness when he broke free from his collar and took off uptown through Riverside Park.

Bear ended up running some 30 blocks to around 110th Street as a Good samaritan tried to follow, but the person didn't catch up to the seizure service dog until the puppy was already in the water, ILoveTheUpperWestSide reported.

Owner Ellen Wolpin and her son didn't hear anything for days.

“We didn’t think that he made it across," Wolpin told the New York Post. "He did like a full triathlon almost."

The story has a happy ending, though, with a combination of Bear's incredible puppy will power and the work of a New Jersey fire department.

Law enforcement found the Leonberger puppy just after midnight Tuesday when someone reported barking underneath an Independence Harbor pier, Edgewater police Chief Donald Martin said.

The frightened pup fled from its rescuers — who'd donned wet suits fire Chief Joseph Chevalier said might have scared it — but was ultimately caught and pulled into a rescue boat, the chief said.

The sodden dog was dried with a sweatshirt, laid on a blanket and fed treats, Chevalier said.

A local animal hospital then tracked the dog's microchip from a Montana breeder to owners in New York City, officials said.

The Upper West Side family and new dog are reunited.

New Jersey Patch editor Logan Williamson contributed to this report.