Man Leaves His Own Birthday Party To Rescue Drowning Dog

A man celebrating his birthday took heroic action to rescue a drowning dog he spotted in New York’s East River. Gabe Castellanos left his own birthday party when he saw the dog in trouble.

dog rescued from river

Screenshot via YouTube

The dog was struggling to stay above water and had no one around to help her. So Gabe grabbed a life jacket and ran out to the nearby pier. Stripping down to his underwear he scaled the railing, hung over the edge and dropped down into the water.

man rescues dog from river

Screenshot via YouTube


The black and white dog (named Harper) was in a panic and bit him on the hand and face and butted him in the face, damaging a tooth. But Gabe kept on rescuing Harper, pushing her towards the shore until they were both safely on shore.

Gabe Castellanos rescues Harper

Screenshot via YouTube

It was later discovered that Harper had ended up escaping from a dog walker who was hit by a car. She had some abrasions to her paws but was otherwise unharmed.

As for Gabe he had to get patched up and may have to get some dental work done soon. But he doesn’t hold it against Harper and is just glad he could save a life. Watch Gabe’s heroic actions in the video below along with interviews after the rescue with Gabe and Harper’s human.

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