It was a regular day for local business owner Carol Crockett and Tom Waller. The two set out from Morley's Wharf to try and catch a fish before heading to Waller's parent's house for dinner. They headed to the Navigation tower near the middle of the Bay. There wasn't much biting because there were skates everywhere. All the sudden the two spotted a large black object swimming in the water.
Crockett and Waller directed their 16' Carolina Skiff in the direction of the object.
"We moved closer to get a better look thinking it was injured, maybe a seal or sea turtle or maybe Chessie," recalled Crockett. "It was a dog in 40 feet of water. A black lab. And not another boat in sight."
Once Tom had gotten close to the dog and hoisted her up into the boat, the dog collapsed from exhaustion. Once the dog had regained her energy, she began to cry out looking back at the Navigation tower.
"Tom aimed the skiff for shore again and within 20 minutes we finally spotted another boat," said Crockett. "It appeared to be headed right for us with someone high up in the crow's nest seat scanning the water. As we got closer, he saw the dog in our boat and started clapping over his head. The dog saw his 'pet' and the tail wagging started and the happy barking began."
The 16' Skiff followed the much larger boat into shallower water and returned the lab, named "Jazmine", to her rightful owner. Had the couple not been out there, there is no telling whether the dog would have been able to survive for the 20 minutes they waited for the boat to appear.
www.shoredailynews.com
