One sunny morning in July 2017, Mark Freeley took his dogs Storm and Sara for a walk on the Long Island Sound. At first, everything was normal with their walk—Sara and Storm enjoyed smelling all the scents on the beach and running on the sand.
But then, the walk took a surprising turn when Golden Retriever Storm suddenly leaped into the water.
At first, Freeley didn’t know what Storm was doing. But then, he saw a brown shape out in the water. Storm grabbed the animal and pulled it towards the shore. When they got closer, Freeley realized the animal was a baby deer.
“I saw him reach with his neck and open his mouth and put it on the fawn’s neck,” Freeley told Inside Edition. “And then just like a lifeguard pulls someone by the neck and brings them to shore, that’s exactly what he did.”
After Storm brought the fawn onto dry land, the dog laid down next to the deer and began nudging it. He wanted to make sure it was okay.
While Storm checked on the deer, Freeley called Strong Island Animal Rescue. Two wildlife rescuers, Frank Floridia and Erica Kutzing, rushed over to the beach to pick up the deer. But unfortunately, right when the rescuers arrived, the deer got spooked by the dogs and ran back into the water.
This time, Freeley and Floridia went into the water to save the deer. Storm watched nervously from the beach.
The deer swam farther out this time, but Freeley and Floridia were determined to save him. Floridia told CBS News that it took eight long minutes to save the fawn:
“I don’t think I could’ve done it without the help of my partner,” Floridia said. “I was exhausted at the point my knee blew out, and I collapsed on the beach.”
Thankfully, Floridia and Freeley were able to get the fawn onto dry land. Kutzing then carried the fawn to the rescuers’ van. The fawn was covered in ticks and had an eye injury, and so the rescuers brought him to a local wildlife shelter for treatment.
Freeley posted a video of Storm’s incredible deer rescue on his Facebook page. It quickly went viral, receiving over 1.6 million views.
Freeley was so proud of Storm for saving the deer. He rewarded the pup with homemade cookies from a dog bakery!
It’s now been about a year since the rescue. In that time, the fawn has recovered from his injuries. He’s now back in the wild. Thanks to Storm, this baby deer is doing great.
Storm is also doing very well. He still loves playing with his dad and sister, and he loves swimming more than anything!
Storm is an incredible, empathetic dog who was determined to save a little fawn from drowning. If you want to see Storm’s daring deer rescue, check out the video below.
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