Long Island

Woman jumped into Long Island canal to save her dog. Then she needed rescuing, too

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A woman who jumped into a Long Island canal in an effort to save her runaway dog ended up needing help herself to escape the frigid waters.

Lorena Henao's rambunctious Chow Chow named Dogie escaped their Massapequa yard Wednesday through a hole dug under a fence. The 3-year-old pooch then ran down the block and jumped into a canal that was filled with ducks.

Henao was chasing after him, and leapt into the water right after her beloved pet. She told NBC New York she was afraid Dogie was going to die.

"I don’t have kids. I only have this dog," said Henao. "My reaction was to jump into the water."

She was able to grab her dog quickly, but then neither could escape the four feet of water that now surrounded them. The water was so cold, Henao said she couldn't feel her arms and legs.

"I say 'Please help, call the police, help, help'...Super cold. I don’t feel my hands. I don’t feel nothing," she told News 4.

"The doctor said five more minutes and she would be just, out," said Henao's husband, Oscar.

Lorena said she spent about ten minutes in the ice cold water.  Any time more than that could have proven deadly, her husband said. Eventually a passerby helped pull her dog to safety and then first responders rescued her.

Henao was rushed to the hospital and treated for hypothermia.

"I know that it was something irresponsible for my health, but I do it, I do it for him," she said.

As for Dogie, on Thursday he seemed unaffected by his dip into the cold canal. But those were moments his owners won't forget, and were grateful the outcome wasn't much worse.

"It’s like a movie you know. When those things happen, you don’t know how you will react," said Henao.

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