Therapy Dog Jumps Into The Water To Rescue Helpless Fawn From Middle Of Lake

Jun 30, 2021 by apost team

Everyone knows that dogs make amazing pets, but they can also lead the blind and help on life-saving missions for other animals and humans. These special service dogs have to be trained extensively, and they require a specific demeanor to do well. One dog with the right attitude is a Goldendoodle named Harley. It is Harley’s first instinct to rush to anyone in danger, even a little fawn.

Harley belongs to Ralph and Pat Dorn from Culpeper, Virginia. The dog’s owners recognized he had a huge heart, so they took Harley to be certified as a therapy dog. Now Harley can spread his incredible love and care to nursing home residents and children at local libraries. 

One day in June 2020, Ralph and Pat weren’t able to find Harley in their house. They went to look outside and saw the dog swimming about 200 feet offshore in a nearby lake. As the dog got closer, Ralph was able to see that he wasn’t alone, there was a tiny fawn with him and Harley was helping it swim back to shore. 

Once the fawn and Harley were out of the lake, the dog looked the fawn over to make sure it was okay and licked it a few times. As soon as Ralph saw the fawn’s mother a safe distance away then he and Harley went back inside the house. 

The next morning, Harley kept running to the window, eager to go outside. As soon as Ralph opened the door, he could hear the sound of the fawn bleating in the distance. Harley rushed into the treeline after it and greeted the fawn for a bit before returning to the house.

Harley did not hesitate to rush into the water when he saw the fawn struggling helplessly. "Not sure how the fawn got out there but Harley obviously didn't ask why, he just jumped into action," Ralph wrote on his Facebook page.

Once the fawn was safe, it was clear that Harley was relieved and wanted to make sure it wasn’t hurt. Ralph said in an interview with People, "Harley didn't want to leave the fawn. He just kept interacting with it, licking it, caring for it."

Ralph also wrote in his Facebook post that the next morning Harley seemed agitated until he was able to get outside to the waiting fawn. Ralph wrote, "Harley ran into the tree line and found the fawn. The little one stopped bleating, tail wagging, they touched noses, sniffed each other and Harley came calmly back to the house with me."

The dog’s owners were not surprised by his heroic actions. "We could tell right away, even as a puppy, he had such a good heart. He has always been like that with children and animals. He loves them all," Ralph told People. 

Over 118,000 people have interacted with Harley’s post on Facebook, and the messages of love for the dog have been overwhelming. Ralph’s wife, Pat, told People, "We were just amazed. We had no idea of the reaction. We're very happy that it has touched so many people, and brought joy to so many as well." Hopefully this touching rescue story will reach many more people, and Harley keeps getting the recognition he deserves!  

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What do you think of this amazing story? Have you ever known a dog that rescued someone? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to send this on to the dog lovers in your life.