A man's wheelchair 'spun' him into a Florida pond. His dog helped save him from drowning

PORT ST. LUCIE — Harry Smith is 81, but his hero is just 9.

The hero is his dog, Sarah, a friendly beagle mix with a pink collar and black coat who played a key role in his rescue this week along with a police officer and two others.

“I love her. Always have, always will,” Smith said Friday. “She's such a good dog. Everybody in this neighborhood loves her, and they all look out for her.”

On Monday, Smith, who uses a wheelchair, was taking Sarah for her walk by a pond on the west side of Southwest Airoso Boulevard, down the street from his Southwest Twig Avenue home.

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The left wheel of his chair “grabbed and spun me” and he wound up going down the grass embankment and in the water.

Sarah, he said, barked loudly, which got the attention of Edward Suhling, 58, who was working on a trailer with Aby “Jacob” Chacko, 49, at a home on the east side of Southwest Airoso Boulevard.

“The dog was splashing in the water,” Suhling said. “So we both ran over here and I jumped in the water, and my buddy grabbed his arms and I grabbed his legs and we got him up on shore.”

Suhling, who said at first he thought the pooch may have gotten into it with an alligator or vice versa, said only Smith’s head was above water. The dog barked loudly and was jumping, splashing her front paws in the water.

“Instantly I just jumped in,” Suhling said. “It's just a natural reaction.”

Smith said his heart beat rapidly. He said he couldn’t have made it out on his own.

“My legs don't work,” he said. “I can't push.”

Chacko said he heard Smith yelling and ran over, hailing down Officer Adam Doty on the way.

“As soon as I got here I saw the wheelchair and the dog and I recognized that's Harry and I know he can't walk,” Chacko said.

He said it took all three of them to pull Smith out.

“I knew I had to help,” Chacko said. “I was very happy to see the officer going by.”

On Friday, Chacko, Suhling, Smith and Sarah came out to the pond and told their story. Sarah seemed glad to be out in the late morning sun, wagging her tail and rolling on her back to get tummy scratches.

The only one missing was Doty, but Assistant Chief Richard Del Toro said Doty was at the hospital with his wife, who just gave birth.

“He's helping saving lives and creating lives at the same time this week,” Del Toro said.

Suhling said Smith was relieved to see them.

“You could just see it in his face,” Suhling said. “He thought he was dying.”

While Smith said he yelled for help, Suhling said he just heard Sarah.

“The dog was a real hero,” Suhling said.

Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-692-8936. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Dog, bystanders rescue Port St. Lucie man from drowning in Florida pond