ALBANY - Buster was lucky that Jerry Pagel's dogs saw him Monday.
Toby and Tucker started to bark and their excitement alerted Pagel to the fact something was wrong.
"They started to go nuts, so I looked down to the river and I saw a dog in the water," Pagel said.
Buster, a 4-year-old lab mix, was in the cold water and was obviously scared, Pagel added.
From his backyard on Mill Street, he saw Buster swim across the river a couple of times, but there just wasn't any way the little dog was going to make it out.
"He couldn't get his traction to get out of the water," Pagel said.
When Buster made his way to Pagel's side of the river one more time, Pagel knew it was up to him to save the dog. He had already called the Albany Police Department, but he knew the dog didn't have much of a chance if he didn't act.
Pagel walked to the river, got on his stomach and grabbed Buster's collar - just in time.
"A little farther down there's some ice, and I knew if I didn't do something soon he'd float under and never be able to get out," Pagel said.
He wasn't worried about his own safety. Pagel's lived along the river for years, he said.
"It's about 2 1/2 feet deep at that point, so I knew I'd be all right even if I went in," Pagel said.
Buster was clearly exhausted and cold, Pagel said. His back leg was curled up, and he was shaking as Pagel got close enough to rescue him.
"He was just looking at me and shaking so much when I grabbed him," Pagel said. "He was about ready to give up."
When the police came, they put Buster in the back of the squad car and took him to the station. Village Clerk Laurie Keepers tried to dry Buster off with some towels as well as she could, but decided to just let him rest in the back of the squad car until his owner, Lynn Hauri, could pick him up.
Hauri said Buster got out through the doggy door and then must have climbed over a fence to get out of the yard. She was relieved to know he was OK.
"His body temperature is a little low but he's going to be all right," she said. "He's just exhausted."
Toby and Tucker started to bark and their excitement alerted Pagel to the fact something was wrong.
"They started to go nuts, so I looked down to the river and I saw a dog in the water," Pagel said.
Buster, a 4-year-old lab mix, was in the cold water and was obviously scared, Pagel added.
From his backyard on Mill Street, he saw Buster swim across the river a couple of times, but there just wasn't any way the little dog was going to make it out.
"He couldn't get his traction to get out of the water," Pagel said.
When Buster made his way to Pagel's side of the river one more time, Pagel knew it was up to him to save the dog. He had already called the Albany Police Department, but he knew the dog didn't have much of a chance if he didn't act.
Pagel walked to the river, got on his stomach and grabbed Buster's collar - just in time.
"A little farther down there's some ice, and I knew if I didn't do something soon he'd float under and never be able to get out," Pagel said.
He wasn't worried about his own safety. Pagel's lived along the river for years, he said.
"It's about 2 1/2 feet deep at that point, so I knew I'd be all right even if I went in," Pagel said.
Buster was clearly exhausted and cold, Pagel said. His back leg was curled up, and he was shaking as Pagel got close enough to rescue him.
"He was just looking at me and shaking so much when I grabbed him," Pagel said. "He was about ready to give up."
When the police came, they put Buster in the back of the squad car and took him to the station. Village Clerk Laurie Keepers tried to dry Buster off with some towels as well as she could, but decided to just let him rest in the back of the squad car until his owner, Lynn Hauri, could pick him up.
Hauri said Buster got out through the doggy door and then must have climbed over a fence to get out of the yard. She was relieved to know he was OK.
"His body temperature is a little low but he's going to be all right," she said. "He's just exhausted."