Bear, a Leonberger and Bernese mountain dog mix, had a remarkable journey earlier this week when he managed to swim across the Hudson River from New York City to New Jersey. The river, which ranges from 1 mile to .5 miles wide in some places, is no easy feat to swim across, but Bear managed to do it.
He was found by the Edgewater Fire Company No. 1 early Tuesday morning after going missing from Manhattan on Saturday. The firefighters found Bear under a pier at Independence Harbor and took him to an animal hospital for some well-deserved food before reuniting him with his owner, Ellen Wolpin.
Wolpin had just brought Bear home a week earlier and he was set to be a service dog for her son with special needs. When Wolpin and Bear were out looking for a new harness on Saturday, Bear managed to escape and ran down the West Side Highway before leaping into the water around 110th Street.
Wolpin was devastated when she realized he was gone and couldn’t believe it when she received the call that he had been found safe and sound. Bear’s size and love for swimming likely helped him survive the long swim across the river. Now, he and Wolpin’s son will hopefully be able to spend many more years together, with Bear mostly staying on land from now on.
