LEWISTON, N.Y. — Back in October, Lewiston Police officer Jon Smith was lauded for his heroic efforts in pulling a woman to safety from her burning home.
To start the new year, he just rescued a dog. Lewiston Police, in a Facebook post, say Officer Smith rescued the dog at Bond Lake.
Police say the dog, whose name is Kona, had fallen through the ice and was trapped about 50 yards from the shore.
Kona is a 10-month-old Labrador that weighs 75 pounds, according to the owner.
"Without hesitation he removed his equipment and went in after him, bringing him safely back to land and reuniting him with his owner," police said, before docking him style points.
"By the way we gave him a 6 out of 10 on the landing in the beginning, but a 10 out of 10 for the rescue," they added.
The owner of the dog sent an email to Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte to express their gratitude. The police department posted the message on their Facebook page.
In October, Officer Smith told 2 On Your Side he was nearby when he heard dispatch respond to a call that fire broke out on Swann Road around 11:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5 in the Town of Lewiston.
"I was able to get there and probably about a minute, maybe less than a minute, when I arrived on scene, I witnessed a garage and the back rear of the house fully engulfed in flames," Smith recalled.
The house belongs to an elderly couple whose daughter, Stacey, lives next door. Stacey says her husband saw the flames and immediately called 911 for help.
That's when Officer Smith arrived, and the two men tried to enter the front door to help.
"There were multiple people outside the home when I got there. I immediately questioned if there were any more people inside of the home, which they replied that there was at least one inside the house," Smith says.
The elderly woman was inside apparently looking for her husband, who Smith said already made it our safely.