‘Rascal’ dog lures rookie cop into Oklahoma lake under pretense of needing rescue

A rookie cop in Oklahoma is getting ribbed on social media for his earnest — and very wet — attempt to rescue a dog that proved to be only pretending it was stuck in a reservoir.

It happened Dec. 23, at Enid’s Meadowlake Park, and the would-be rescuer was Officer Kevin Rodriguez, according to the Enid Police Department. The town is about 100 miles northwest of downtown Oklahoma City.

Rodriguez and field training Officer Shawn Aebi were called to the park by someone who reported two dogs were chasing ducks at the lake.

“One of the two rascals managed to swim out to the footer of the railroad bridge crossing the lake and appeared to be stuck,” police said.

“After attempts were made to coax the stranded pooch to shore, to no avail,” police said, “Officer Rodriguez went to his nearby home to change into some jeans and a T-shirt for a wet walk out to the stranded pooch.

“As he entered the water and got closer to the footer of the bridge, it was discovered the dog was not stranded as it began to swim back toward the shore to a waiting, and dry, Officer Aebi.”

The dogs were then reunited with their owners — Melanie Bishop and her daughter, Makayla Hawkins — while Rodriguez went to take a shower in the middle of his shift.

Bishop noted on Facebook that the dogs “got out of the backyard” that same day. She had been looking for them at the time of the “rescue.” She believes 2-year-old Petey was temporarily too “scared to move” once he got that far into the lake.

“A huge shout out to the two officers who were called and tried to figure out every way possible to rescue the male, who had swam out to the middle of the lake under the bridge and stopped on a piece of concrete,” she wrote.

“The one officer went home and changed and even tried to attempt to swim out and rescue him, but it was just too deep. The male dog finally stepped off and my daughter got him to swim to her.”

The department also commended the officers “for taking the extra steps to ensure everyone made it home safe.”

Hundreds of people have reacted to the department’s Facebook post, including many who applauded Rodriguez for his attempt.

“I love it! Just about to do the heroic deed and doggie swims right by you back to shore!” Jody LeCrone wrote.

A few joked Aebi might qualify as a “the dog whisperer” for managing to coax the dog to shore without getting wet.

This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 8:48 AM with the headline "‘Rascal’ dog lures rookie cop into Oklahoma lake under pretense of needing rescue."