Firefighters Pull Off Rescue Of 'Rascal' Dog That Went Missing In Bayonne

BAYONNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A local fire department pulled off quite the rescue on Wednesday.

Bayonne firefighters saved an 11-year-old missing dog that managed to get stuck in a water pit at the SUEZ treatment plant. As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, the animal's family is beyond grateful.

"I knew that I was going to have to tell him and it was breaking my heart," said Jeff Adelung, whose family owns the dog.

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It had been an agonizing several days for Adelung. He could not find the words to tell his 84-year-old father, Ken, that his beloved companion, "Rosco" had gone missing.

"I was holding off and it was killing me," Adelung said.

Ken just entered rehab last Friday, recovering from a fall. When Jeff got back to his father's house in Bayonne that night, he realized Rosco had somehow escaped from the kitchen.

"The dog's a little rascal and he ended up getting away," said brother Drew Adelung.

Drew and the rest of the family posted fliers everywhere, all the while keeping Ken in the dark out of fear the news could hamper his recovery. Jeff said he had lost hope, until Wednesday morning.

"All I can tell you is it is a miracle," Jeff said.

Employees at the SUEZ water treatment plant called the Bayonne Fire Department at around 8:30 a.m. after they heard a dog barking in an unused, fenced off part of the property. Pictures show a ball of fur clinging to a pipe, surrounded by water.

"Responding units found a puggle, an older puggle, holding onto a pipe in an approximate 8-foot pit full of water. Basically holding on so it doesn't drown," Bayonne Fire Chief Keith Weaver said.

How the dog got there is a mystery.

But crews were able to pull him out, cuddling Rosco in a blanket before bringing him to the veterinarian.

Drew said he got a call from Bayonne police and raced down to the office and reunited with the dog his dad got after his mother died.

Jeff and Drew had been planning to finally tell their dad in person on Wednesday that Rosco was missing. Instead, they'll be telling him the story with a happy ending.