Freeport, Merrick residents team up to find lost dog

Blue, the 14-week-old golden retriever puppy was traveling to the beach with his brother Snoopy and his mother Lucy, on May 1, when he inexplicably jumped out of the car window onto the Meadowbrook Parkway. He ran into oncoming traffic with his human uncle, Jack Williams, chasing him. 

Blue veered across the three lanes of northbound traffic on the Meadowbrook and ran into the brush, trees, muck and brambles. Hundreds of volunteers searched for the puppy following a call to help search through social media. The group began from about 4 p.m. through 3 a.m. They started again at 5 a.m. on May 3. 

New York State troopers kept volunteers safe along the parkway, and assisted in the search with their high-powered drone. The Merrick Fire Department was relentless in their search as well. They brought three fire trucks to search the site from above.

Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy went above and beyond by searching for two days with his drone. Ben Jackson and his family aired their own drone, as did Teddy Kimlingen and dog tracker John Spat. Their drones had heat-seeking capabilities.

Nassau County Police and Merrick Fire Department used thermal imaging equipment to try to pick up living heat-producing images. Freeport Police and Fire Department also assisted in the search. Friends, family and complete strangers searched all-night and started again at 5 AM on May 4. 

Bacon was fried roadside that morning to hopefully entice Blue by the smell, but to no avail.

Finally, the services of Enzo, the tracking dog from Professional Pet Trackers, were engaged. Upon getting Blue’s scent, Enzo tracked him into the weeds and then back out. Enzo tracked Blue northbound up the side of the Meadowbrook and off the eastbound Merrick Road exit. He tracked Blue into the Department of Sanitation site in Merrick, and then into the Norman J. Levy

Park Preserve. The tracking continued to almost the southern tip of the preserve where the trail seemed to end.

Everyone took a water break to rest, and during the break, social media let loose with the story of a puppy found swimming in Merrick Bay. He looked just like Blue. 

Hours before volunteers stumbled upon the post, a white 21' Wellcraft was riding in the channel along the preserve when a puppy started barking at it and swimming towards the boat. The captain of the boat, Josh T., a Freeport Police Officer, jumped in the water with his 2 nephews and brought the puppy aboard. The puppy enjoyed a nice boat ride to the Buoy Bar, in Point Lookout, where they were welcomed by the bar’s owner, Pete Doheny, of the Town of Hempstead Conservation Department.

Social media again took off and connected the rescuers with Blue’s family. The rescuers delivered Blue via boat to Sea Breeze Park, in Freeport. 

He was a bit scraped up and covered with ticks, but otherwise unscathed. 

In this time of Covid-19 pandemonium, it was so heartening to see that human kindness and caring shines so brightly. Complete strangers volunteered tirelessly. People came in cars and trucks, they came on bicycles and on foot, they came in boats and on jet skies.

It was an amazing effort that restored faith in kindness and humanity in these trying times. The Lyons-Williams family is beholding to you all forever.