Police Officer Jared Desalvo. one of the hero cops who rescued a small dog struggling to stay afloat in the East River in March went one step further on Saturday and adopted the pup.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
He’s a doggone hero!
One of the cops who rescued a small dog struggling to stay afloat in the East River in March was not content with simply saving the pup; on Saturday, he went one step further and adopted her.
Police Officer Jared Desalvo saved the life of the tiny white Maltese on March 30 after a concerned New Yorker spotted the pup fighting against the waves just off the South Street Seaport on that Sunday morning. As a part of the NYPD Harbor Unit, Desalvo responded and pulled the chilly canine from the cold waters.
Cops said the pup was exhausted from battling the current but otherwise unharmed. Wrapping the dog in a towel, which they would later name Hudson after the opposite Manhattan waterway, they handed her off to officers from the 1st Precinct, who then had her checked out at a vet before being transferred to Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC).
Still, as the weeks went by, Desalvo never forgot about Hudson, and neither did his wife and kids.
“My family thought she’s very cute, and I’ve been hearing about it since the actual rescue date, and they’re constantly asking me: ‘How’s Hudson doing? Did we hear anything? Do we know how she’s doing?’” Desalvo said.
Six weeks after the fateful rescue, with Hudson still unclaimed, Desalvo traveled to the ACC center at 1906 Flushing Ave. in Ridgewood, Queens on May 10 to officially adopt Hudson and add her to his family.
According to police sources, ACC took care of Hudson while waiting to see if the dog’s original owner would come forward, but with no one having emerged Desalvo decided to answer the call himself.
Desalvo arrived ahead of his wife Nicole and children 9-year-old Salvatore and 8-year-old Stella in order to fill-out adoption papers and surprise his son and daughter with the news of their new family member.
“It means a lot to my family. I think it sets a good example in terms of compassion, making sure that we take care of those that need help. And it’s a unique situation where we get to actually do a little bit more. She’s gonna be very well taken care of,” Desalvo said.
The kids lit up with joy when Desalvo handed Hudson her over to them and revealed, in a full-cycle moment, that the pup he saved would be forever linked to them. After being pulled from the East River, Desalvo said that Hudson suffered a respiratory infection but overcame the ailment after receiving an antibiotic treatment.
Desalvo’s wife recalled the moment she laid eyes on Hudson and said she knew from that moment they would give her a forever home.
“She’s just an adorable dog. Thank God Jared and his partners that day were in the right place at the right time,” Nicole Desalvo said. “When he sent me the picture of her on the boat, and she was all wet and wrapped up in the towel, the first message I sent back was bring my baby home.”
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