Easton officer awarded for December rescue of person, dog from pond
Telesco was unable to talk the man out of going into the water, and soon saw him become overwhelmed by the cold water and show signs of distress, officials said. With no other choice, police said, Telesco waded into the water and rescued the individual and his dog.
EASTON — A local police officer recently was recognized for his involvement in a cold water rescue of a person and their dog from a semi-frozen pond back in December 2020, according to police officials.
Chief Richard Doyle said on Tuesday that Officer Anthony Telesco received a Meritorious Service Award on Sept. 29 from the Police Commissioners Association of Connecticut.
The award stems from a rescue on Dec. 18, 2020, near the pond in front of Helen Keller Middle School.
Around 4 p.m. that day, Telesco was approached by an individual who told the officer that his dog went into the partially frozen pond and was having trouble getting out. The air temperature that day was 20 degrees.
Telesco immediately called in to the dispatcher to have fire units respond to rescue the dog. Fire department have cold water gear for these kind of rescues.
But before firefighters could get to the scene, the dog’s owner felt like his dog couldn’t wait any longer, and went into the pond to rescue the dog himself, police said.
Telesco was unable to talk the man out of going into the water, and soon saw him become overwhelmed by the cold water and show signs of distress, officials said. With no other choice, police said, Telesco waded into the water and rescued the individual and his dog.
As firefighters arrived, they found all three in the pond and pulled them out. The man and his dog were evaluated by medics at the scene. The man refused further medical treatment. Telesco, who was in the water above his chest, could not feel his hands and was taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
“This incident exemplifies what the members of the Easton Police Department are willing to do, at a moment’s notice, to keep both animals and humans alike safe and sound every day,” said a statement from Doyle.