BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhuanet) -- A man who fell into
water from his boat with his dog asked rescuers to save his dog first, media
reported Wednesday.
Randy Earl's small boat capsized while he was fishing
with his dog Lacy Monday on Mason Lake near their Monongalia County home in
northern West Virginia. He clung to the boat's hull in the water with 10¡æ (50
degrees), until a state trooper arrived.
"He asked the state trooper to take the dog first,"
said Jan Thorn, another fisherman who watched from shore, "It was very
touching."
Earl, 53, said Lacy means a lot to him and his wife
since they lost both of their children in a car accident 15 years ago.
"That dog is like a child to us," said Earl.
Earl and Lacy were rescued after Trooper J.D. McCoy
used an old kayak to paddle out to them. Earl was taken to Ruby Memorial
Hospital in Morgantown as a precaution but was released that evening.
(Agencies)
