Wellesley police post video of rescue of dog from raging waters

Wellesley police and Newton firefighters rescued a 7-year-old dog named Maggie from a fast-moving spillway off of the Charles River on Friday — but not before she went on what must have been a harrowing journey down the river and over “at least one waterfall,” according to a press release from the Wellesley Police Department, who posted a video of Maggie’s rescue on Facebook Monday.

Maggie — a rescue whippet rat terrier mix — went missing from her home on Friday. Soon, Wellesley police officers dispatched to search for her learned that Newton firefighters were already trying to rescue a dog fitting Maggie’s description from the Charles on the Newton/Wellesley line. 

By the time Wellesley police arrived at the scene, Maggie was stuck in the river, according to the release. “During the first attempt to rescue her, she slipped back into the river and was swept downstream to another set of rocks,” police detailed.

The video, captured by a Wellesley Police UAV pilot, shows Maggie scrambling on the banks of the spillway as water gushes past just feet away.

Fortunately, “Newton Firefighters were able to pluck Maggie from the spillway before she went farther down river and into the rapids,” the release continued.

“She reportedly is not a big fan of the water,” the release noted, “but does enjoy running for miles with her owner.”

The first responders reunited Maggie with her owner, Susan Kinz Maggioni, that day. Maggioni thanked them in the comments section of Wellesley PD’s Facebook post.

“From Maggie and her family, we are so incredibly grateful to both the Wellesley Police Department and the Newton Fire Department for rescuing our rescue dog and bringing her to safety!! ” she wrote.