New Jersey State Police officers Ryan Kohler and Vincent Ferdinandi were starting their morning shift at 7 a.m. when they received an unexpected call.

A golden retriever had been spotted swimming in Barnegat Bay, off the Jersey Shore, and needed help.

Watch the video at the end.

The officers quickly responded, using a Zodiac boat to reach the dog about 75 yards from the shore. They gently guided the tired pup to safety, lifting him onto a sidewalk behind a nearby house.

Officer Ferdinandi described the rescue as exhausting, noting that the dog suffered from malnutrition and fatigue.

The dog, a 3-year-old named Chunk, had been missing for 16 days. Chunk disappeared while playing fetch with his owners, Mary and James Zangara, on June 6. Frightened, he bolted into the nearby woods and couldn’t be found despite extensive search efforts.

Local police, dog catchers, and volunteers had been on the lookout, using social media, bait traps, and surveillance cameras to locate him.

Early Tuesday morning, two joggers spotted Chunk on the Mantoloking Bridge. When they tried to approach him, the nervous dog jumped into the water, ultimately swimming more than two kilometers before he was rescued.

Once on land, Chunk was understandably hesitant around the officers, backing away in fear. Despite his initial reaction, the officers kept him safe until his family arrived.

Officer Ferdinandi shared that seeing the Zangaras’ relief was touching, and Chunk seemed just as happy to be reunited with his family.

Officer Kohler, who has been with the force for 16 years and is a dog owner, empathized with the emotional toll of losing a pet for such a long time. “I understand how hard that must have been for them,” he said.

The New Jersey State Police shared the heartwarming story on their Facebook page, which quickly went viral, with over 6,000 shares.

In the post, they praised the efforts of Troopers Kohler and Ferdinandi for safely rescuing Chunk, a beloved family pet who had been missing for over two weeks. “Needless to say, he was thrilled to be back with his grateful owners,” the post read.

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