(Gainesville Times) – Alexis Sutliff and her boyfriend Shannon Phagan knew they had to abandon ship as their jonboat started to take on water Jan. 20 at Lula Park.
A shift in the weight as they let up on the gas would eventually cause the boat to capsize.
“It caused it to basically nosedive, I guess, and fill with water. We looked at each other and knew that we had to go and jumped off in the water,” Sutliff said of the boat with dog Buddy also onboard.
Phagan was able to swim to the bank, though Buddy continued to push Sutliff underwater.
utliff eventually was able to get clear and backstroke until her shoulders hit the grass.
“I was brokenhearted, because I had to leave him.” Sutliff said.
Equipped with their rapid deployment watercraft, first responders from Hall County Fire Services, Sgt. Nick Thomas and firefighter/EMT Patrick Englishby, paddled out roughly 250 yards out in the water to the dog, which was barely keeping afloat.
Thomas put his sweatshirt over Buddy to keep the dog warm as they returned to the shore.
