Dog thrown from bridge recovers

NEW BERN — A beagle-mix dog who was hurled off the Alfred Cunningham Bridge on June 15 will get a second chance at a home and a good life — as will the pit bull mix who was hanging with her at the time.
The dog, whom employees at the Craven County animal shelter have named Dara in honor of five-time Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, was thrown off the bridge last Saturday by Samuel Drew of New Bern who later told media that the dog was following him and “got in the way.”
He was going to throw the pit bull mix over as well, he later told police, but the dog fled across the bridge to the Outback Steakhouse.
Drew was arrested and faces charges of animal cruelty.
Dara earned her new name as she swam for her life toward the docks beyond Riverfront Convention Center, where good Samaritans in a boat helped haul her out of the water and onto the dock.
Trinity Smith, animal control supervisor at the animal shelter where the dog was taken, said that Dara nipped or bit one of her rescuers and was frightened and unapproachable on the dock, to the point where an officer had to shoot her with a tranquilizer.
The other dog, whom Smith calls River, responded quickly and in a friendly manner when an officer called him.
Because she had bitten someone, Dara was put on 10 days quarantine to be safe.
“When she first came in, she was very withdrawn,” Smith said. “We couldn’t go near her, you couldn’t touch her. But you can’t blame her.”
Crystal Gruber, one of the shelter’s animal handlers, however, has been paying a lot of attention to Dara and she has warmed up quite a bit. When brought out of quarantine for a time Friday afternoon she quickly rolled onto her back offering her belly for a rub from Gruber and Smith.
River, who has been kept in a separate cage, has been quite friendly all along.
No one has come forward to claim either dog, Smith said, though it is obvious that the dogs are in good physical condition.
On Tuesday, when Dara’s quarantine time is up, the two dogs will be taken by Saving Grace, a dog rescue organization headquartered in Wake Forest. Under their care, the dogs will be spayed and neutered and cared for until permanent homes are found for them.
If the dogs’ owners do come forward, they will have to bring proof of ownership, Smith said.