On May 31, 2014, Winthrop, Wash., residents witnessed how Okanogan County’s Swiftwater Rescue Team retrieved Jessie, a border collie-heeler mix, from the bed of a pickup truck that had rolled into the Chewuch River.
Paul Picolet parked his Ford F-150 in the parking lot behind the Tenderfoot store in Winthrop. At 11 a.m. the truck somehow rolled into the river and floated quite some distance with Jessie trapped on the back of the truck.
The vehicle came to a stop when a large boulder near the Highway 20 bridge obstructed the car from floating away any farther.
Vikki and Ottis Buzzard, members of the Okanogan County’s Swiftwater Rescue Team used an inflatable raft anchored to the river banks to reach the Ford F-150 and rescue the dog.
Jessie was calm but scared, as she waited patiently for her rescuers. At 1 p.m., the Buzzards finally reached the truck and brought the pet to safe land.
Once Jessie was secured to the inflatable raft, witnesses clapped and cheered.
Picolet was happy to be reunited with his beloved pet, but until today he wonders how his truck rolled into the water.
Watch this video to learn how Jessie was pulled form the river.
