Law Student Saves Post Writer, Dog From Drowning
posted 4:48 pm Thu February 07, 2008 -
Usually, Mike Wise's dog Lully stays pretty close to him on their nightly runs, but lately had been starting to go off on her own trail. That night, just east of the chain bridge, her trail led her straight through the ice. "About 30 seconds went by when her paws kept slipping off the ice. She wasn't going to make it. She started whimpering. And I realized I'm going to watch my dog die if I don't go in."
As soon as he got to her, the ice broke on him. Neck deep in the freezing water and running out of energy, he couldn't get out.
"And so, I just started yelling for help at the top of my lungs."It was cold, dark and Wise hasn't seen a soul, but another runner, Jason Coates, heard his cries and didn't hesitate. "I tried to grab him and pull. The ice broke and I went in chest deep."
Together, the two strangers pulled each other onto the banks. They exchanged names, made sure each other was ok, and Coates ran off.
"After he left, I kind of rolled up in a fetal position and bawled my eyes out for a minute because I knew that was about as close as I'd ever come."
As a Post columnist, Wise put his reporting skills to the test and found Coates. He learned he was a law student at George Washington University, a long-distance runner and more humble than he imagined.
"I think if anyone else was in the same situation, they would do the same thing," said Coates.
A sports writer, law student and a dog with one fine story to tell. "I should be writing a story about this guy, not Shaq going to Phoenix. This guy is a better story. Who did Shaq pull out of a canal recently?"
Latest Comment on Law Student Saves Post Writer, Dog From Drowning
Pachacutec
8:39 am on 02/08/08
I agree with previous posts, keep the dog on a leash when you're out and about, no matter WHAT the weather. I don't care how well trained a dog is, if it sees something it wants to get to badly enough, if it's not on a leash, it'll go after it. If I had money for everyone who's told me "my dog won't EVERY leave the yard," "I don't need a leash, my dog has had obedience training," and so on, and their dogs got hit by cars or otherwise got into trouble, I'd be a rich person today.
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